United Republic of Tanzania News

Kagera Region – Tanzania is stepping up efforts to strengthen healthcare-associated infection (HAI) surveillance following a recent Marburg virus outbreak in the Kagera Region, which claimed two lives earlier this year.

With funding from the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), the World Health Organization (WHO), in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, conducted a four-day training for 41 healthcare workers in Kagera. The initiative focused on improving the detection, prevention, and management of HAIs.

Dar es Salaam:  The National Public Health Laboratory (NPHL) in Dar es Salaam has been officially designated as a World Health Organization (WHO) HIVResNet National Laboratory for HIV Drug Resistance (HIVDR) testing for 2025. This designation places Tanzania at the forefront of global efforts to monitor and respond to HIV drug resistance, a critical component in the fight to end the AIDS epidemic.

Dar es Salaam - The Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, has concluded a high-level visit to Tanzania, where he met with President Samia Suluhu Hassan, members of the UN Country Team, and international development partners to discuss the country’s health priorities and ongoing response to the recent Marburg virus disease outbreak in the Kagera region.

Dar es Salaam -Tanzania is currently facing a critical challenge with one of the highest road traffic death rates in sub-Saharan Africa, at 16 deaths per 100,000 people. Many of these fatalities and disabilities could be prevented with timely emergency care. However, the country faces critical gaps in its emergency response system, including a lack of structured coordination, absence of formal emergency medical services, and no centralized dispatch system.

Biharamulo – The World Health Organization (WHO), in collaboration with Tanzania’s Ministry of Health, is making significant strides in enhancing the nation’s response to the ongoing Marburg Virus Disease (MVD) outbreak. These efforts are not only focused on improving national preparedness but also on fostering regional cooperation with neighboring countries to prevent the further spread of this deadly disease.

Kagera, Tanzania ‒ Domitina Kahira, a resident of Biharamulo District in Tanzania’s north-eastern Kagera Region, is treading a difficult path to recovery after losing her husband to Marburg virus disease in early January 2025.

Dar es Salaam – Tanzania today declared the end of Marburg virus disease outbreak after recording no new cases over 42 days since the death of the last confirmed case on 28 January 2025.

The outbreak, in which two confirmed and eight probable cases were recorded (all deceased), was the second the country has experienced. Both this outbreak, which was declared on 20 January 2025, and the one in 2023 occurred in the north-eastern Kagera region.

Dar es Salaam - Tanzania has confirmed its first two cases of Mpox (formerly known as Monkeypox), following a laboratory report conducted on March 9th in Dar es Salaam. This marks the first time the disease has been reported in the country.

The government, with the support of the World Health Organization(WHO) and partners, has been reinforcing emergency preparedness with a focus on strengthening capacity to detect, confirm and respond to public health emergencies in recent times. 

Dar es Salaam:  The World Health Organization (WHO) has received £200,000 in funding from the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office (FCDO) to support efforts in fighting the ongoing Marburg outbreak in Tanzania. This collaboration will significantly enhance the continuing response to the outbreak in the Kagera region and strengthen preparedness efforts across 13 other high-risk regions in the country.

Biharamulo, Kagera – The Tanzanian Ministry of Health, with technical and financial support from the World Health Organization (WHO), Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), and UNICEF, equipped over 600 community health workers (CHW) with hands-on skills to enhance local capacities in addressing the ongoing Marburg response efforts.