Tuberculosis (TB) is the 13th leading cause of death and the second leading infectious disease killer after COVID-19 worldwide in 2021. Tanzania is among the 30 high-burden countries for TB and TB/HIV coinfection. USAID’s TB focus in Tanzania aligns with the National Tuberculosis and Leprosy Program (NTLP) strategy VI 2021 - 2025 and Global Strategy towards Ending TB by 2030. The focus is to reach people and communities with TB services through different service delivery models for early identification and diagnosis of TB patients.
TUBERCULOSIS
TANZANIA
Tuberculosis (TB) is the 13th leading cause of death and the second leading infectious disease killer after
COVID-19 worldwide in 2021. Tanzania is among the 30 high-burden countries for TB and TB/HIV
coinfection.According to theWHO, the TB incidence rate in 2021 was estimated to be 208/100,000
population, which is equivalent to 132,000 total incident cases. However, only 65% of TB patients are being
treated. Poverty, malnutrition, HIV infection and diabetes are the main determinants of TB disease in the
country.
USAID’s TB focus in Tanzania aligns with the USAID’s Global Tuberculosis (TB) Strategy 2023–2030, National
Tuberculosis and Leprosy Program (NTLP) strategyVI 2021-2025 and Global Strategy towards Ending TB by
2030.The focus is to reach people and communities with TB services through different service delivery
models for early identification and diagnosis of TB patients; ensure TB patients have access to quality and
patient-centered TB care and treatment; treat TB infection and prevent TB disease in different population
groups in different settings; ensure availability of functional and resilient systems for planning, implementation,
and monitoring of TB services in the country; and promote innovations and local based evidence in
implementation of TB interventions
In FY 2019, USAID/Tanzania signed a Memorandum of Understanding between Tanzania’s Ministry of Health
and the Prime Minister’s Office of Regional and Local Government to commit to the Global Accelerator to
End TB.The Accelerator leverages public and private sector resources to build local capacity for
client-centered care and treatment of TB patients.
Since FY 2019, USAID partners have been supporting the following activities:
● Expand case detection using improved TB diagnostic and screening tools including the detection of
multidrug resistant TB
● Initiating patients on TB treatment in partnership with community TB volunteers, civil
society organizations, and local government
● Introducing new drugs and treatment regimens, as well as guidelines and training on their effective
use, especially for drug- resistant TB
● Integrating TB and HIV services in 16 priority regions and working with facilities to establish
one-stop shop models of care and treatment
Integration, collaboration, and coordination are the three important elements that USAID considers in
ensuring sustainability of TB services in the country. In addition, localization of the TB interventions is
yielding results in accelerating progress towards ending the disease. Importantly are the two USAID TB Local
Organizations Network which have been capacitated to deliver TB services in facilities and communities, and
more importantly in leading advocacy to deploy more domestic resources and inclusion of other sectors in
fighting TB. USAID still engages other partners under the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief to
support delivery of TB services integrated with HIV.
CHALLENGES
● Limited TB active case finding activities, access to and
utilization of WHO recommended TB lab diagnosis continues
to be the main barriers in reaching TB and DR-TB patients
with treatment services. Almost 60% of TB patients are
clinically diagnosed.
● Need for improved TB infection and prevention control
measures to prevent transmission within health facilities and
beyond healthcare settings.
● Inadequate advocacy for increased domestic resource
investment in TB Programmatic management activities
● High staff turnover of health care workers affects the
continuity and quality of district- and facility-level
coordination,supervision, and mentorship around TB.
IMPACT
● In the year 2021, the USAID support contributed to TB case
identification and treatment initiation to 87,415 nationwide but specifically 39,877 TB patients
were put on treatment in 16 USAID supported regions.
● Supported decentralization of drug-resistant TB services to over 170 sites around the country,
dramatically reducing patient wait times for DR-TB treatment initiation.
● Contributed to the expansion and access toWHO recommended TB molecular diagnosis to 305
facilities.
● Increased in notification of Childhood TB to 16% of all TB notifications, this is above the global
target of 15% Maintained a TB treatment success rate of 92 percent
Original source can be found here.