Tanzania has made a number of important public health achievements in recent years, including a decline in childhood deaths. Between 2003 and 2012, HIV prevalence fell from 7.0 to 5.1 percent, while the number of patients receiving life-saving HIV treatment has nearly tripled over the last five years. More children are fully immunized and sleep under insecticide-treated nets, and more pregnant women are taking preventive treatment to reduce the consequences of malaria in both the woman and her unborn child.
While Tanzania has made progress in reducing under-five mortality, maternal, newborn, and child health can still be improved. Tanzania must also continue to battle HIV/AIDS and other health issues such as tuberculosis, malaria, respiratory infections, and diarrhea. These issues are exacerbated by underlying food insecurity and nutritional deficiencies. Tanzania also has some of the lowest coverage rates of health personnel in the world.
In order to improve the quality, availability, and use of preventive and curative health services, U.S. Government-supported programs in Tanzania focus on three interconnected areas: quality integrated services, health systems strengthening, and healthy behaviors. These efforts support the Government of Tanzania’s commitment to improve health and health care services, focusing on increased efficiency, effectiveness, and accountability. USAID’s work with the Government of Tanzania includes malaria control, preventing mother-to-child HIV transmission, providing children with nutritional supplements, training health workers, improving maternal health facilities, and scaling up voluntary family planning services.
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