Tanzania sustains vaccine gains

ADDIS ABABA: TANZANIA has recorded high vaccination coverage of up to 99.8 per cent, as the government moves to increase domestic funding to sustain gains and reach all children.

The Deputy Minister for Health, Dr Florence Samizi, said the government is strengthening immunisation services, particularly for children in rural, remote and hard-to-reach areas.

Dr Samizi made the remarks during a side meeting held on the sidelines of the ongoing 76th WHO-AFRO Conference in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

The meeting, organised by Gavi, discussed strategies to expand vaccination coverage and ensure all children access immunisation services.

She said that in 2024, coverage for the third dose of the DTP-HepB-Hib vaccine reached 96 per cent, while Measles-Rubella first dose (MR1) stood at 99.8 per cent and the second dose (MR2) at 94 per cent.

She added that the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine reached 5.48 million girls aged between 9 and 14 years, marking significant progress in protecting adolescents against cervical cancer.

Dr Samizi said the government will continue increasing domestic financing for immunisation, while strengthening service delivery, monitoring systems and the use of data to reach children who have missed or not completed their vaccinations.

She also commended Gavi for its continued support, noting that the partnership has significantly strengthened immunisation services and improved public health outcomes in the country.

Tanzania aims to maintain high and equitable vaccination coverage across all communities to ensure every eligible child has access to immunisation services.

Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, is a public-private partnership that helps vaccinate more than half of the world’s children against some of the deadliest diseases, playing a key role in supporting national immunisation programmes.

Meanwhile, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health, Dr Grace Magembe, has called for stronger African Union (AU) cooperation to accelerate efforts to reduce maternal and child mortality across the continent through effective strategies and concrete actions.

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She made the remarks during a meeting with the AU Commissioner for Health, Humanitarian Affairs and Social Development, Ambassador Amma Twum-Amoah, where she thanked the AU Commission for its continued support to Tanzania’s health sector.

The meeting was also held on the sidelines of the ongoing 76th WHO-AFRO Conference in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, bringing together key stakeholders to advance health priorities in Africa.

Dr Magembe also commended the confidence placed in President Samia Suluhu Hassan following her appointment as the AU Champion for Maternal and Child Health, noting that the role provides an opportunity to mobilise collective action among African leaders to save the lives of mothers and children.

She said Tanzania is finalising preparations to launch the Roadmap for the AU Champion for Maternal and Child Health in Arusha on September 9 this year and invited Ambassador TwumAmoah to attend the event.

“We also sought AU support for preparations for the High-Level Meeting of Heads of State and Government on Maternal and Child Survival in Africa, scheduled for New York on September 23 this year, on the sidelines of the 81st UN General Assembly,” she said.

The 76th session of the WHO Regional Committee for Africa is scheduled to take place in Addis Ababa from August 25 to 28, 2026, bringing together health ministers and senior officials from 47 member states to discuss and endorse regional health policies, strategies and plans aimed at improving the health of people across the continent.