CDC in Tanzania

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) established an office in Tanzania in 2001 to support HIV/AIDS prevention. The CDC office expanded through the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) in 2003. CDC works with the Government of Tanzania to strengthen tuberculosis prevention efforts for people living with HIV; enhance laboratory, surveillance, and workforce capacity to respond to disease outbreaks through the Global Health Security Agenda; prevent and control malaria under the U.S. President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI); and respond to COVID-19.

Download Tanzania Factsheet [PDF – 442 KB]

CDC Impact in Tanzania

Global Health Security

In today’s globally connected world, disease threats like COVID-19 spread faster and more unpredictably than ever before. Tanzania’s borders span eight countries, including the African Great Lakes region, which increases the country’s risk for cross-border disease outbreaks and epidemics. CDC and partners are well-placed to leverage past successful initiatives and rapidly respond to emerging and existing public health challenges.

CDC supports Tanzania to strengthen International Health Regulations core capacities to comprehensively prevent, rapidly detect, and effectively respond to public health threats. CDC also supports strengthened disease surveillance activities including:

• Expansion of the electronic community and facility-based surveillance for detection of early warning alerts
• Training the global public health workforce, including district-level epidemiologists
• Strengthened border health capabilities
• Enhanced laboratory testing for pathogens like Ebola and COVID-19
• Establishment of national and subnational Emergency Operations Centers (EOCs)

COVID-19

The first case of COVID-19 in Tanzania was confirmed in March 2020. Since the pandemic was declared, CDC has supported Tanzania with surveillance, infection prevention and control (IPC), border health efforts, and activation of rapid response teams and FELTP graduates and trainees.  As of December 2022, CDC supported the Government of Tanzania to distribute more than 11 million vaccinations.

HIV/AIDS and Tuberculosis (TB)

HIV is a leading cause of death and a health threat to millions worldwide. As a key implementer of PEPFAR, CDC works with Tanzania to build a sustainable, high-impact national HIV response program to accelerate progress toward the UNAIDS global goals to control the HIV epidemic. CDC adapts and adopts new technology and evidence-based approaches to enhance service delivery, improve patient outcomes, achieve HIV epidemic control, and end TB.

CDC works with the Ministry of Health (MOH) in Tanzania and the MOH on the island of Zanzibar to support:

• HIV testing, prevention, and treatment services
• HIV rapid testing quality assurance
• Early infant HIV diagnosis
• Viral load testing
• Strengthening health information systems
• Using data to inform decision-making
• Health worker training, retention, and participation in outbreak response

CDC supports Tanzania’s lab systems to strengthen laboratory detection capacities for HIV and TB. CDC also supports TB prevention efforts for people living with HIV. This work includes supporting the roll-out of laboratory initiatives for TB diagnostics, points of care, and surveillance for TB drug resistance.

Malaria

Malaria is a leading cause of death and disease in many countries, and young children and pregnant women are most affected. CDC and partners in Tanzania have engaged in malaria projects since the late 1990s. Under the U.S. President’s Malaria Initiative, CDC assigned a resident advisor to malaria-endemic Tanzania to support the implementation of malaria prevention and control activities, including:

• Long-lasting insecticide-treated nets and indoor residual spraying
• Preventing malaria in pregnancy
• Improving diagnostics and case management

Project ECHO

CDC launched Project ECHO (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes) in Tanzania in 2016. The project uses teleconferencing to facilitate case-based learning and knowledge sharing between participants and subject matter experts. ECHO virtual sessions cover various topics, including HIV and TB clinical care and COVID-19 case management. CDC manages the Project ECHO sites with support from implementing partners.