DAR ES SALAAM: THE government has intensified its fight against malaria by strengthening prevention, testing and treatment interventions as it seeks to eliminate the disease by 2030.
Deputy Minister for Health Florence Samizi said the renewed push underscored the country’s commitment to reducing malaria infections and deaths, particularly among the most vulnerable groups.
Dr Samizi was speaking in Dodoma while presenting an implementation report of the National Malaria Control Programme to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Health and HIV/AIDS on behalf of Health Minister Mohamed Mchengerwa.
She said children under five and pregnant women remained at the highest risk of malaria and continued to be prioritised in prevention and control measures.
Under President Samia Suluhu Hassan, the government is implementing a range of mosquito-control interventions, including the distribution of insecticide-treated mosquito nets, indoor residual spraying and the use of biological agents to control mosquito breeding sites, Dr Samizi said.
Preventive malaria treatment is being provided to pregnant women in all 184 councils, while children aged between five and 16 years are receiving similar services in areas with a high malaria burden, she added.
Committee Chairperson Johannes Lukumay commended the Ministry of Health for its efforts and commitment to eliminating the disease.
He called, however, for increased investment in human and financial resources to accelerate the fight against malaria, saying the committee would continue to support the government in ensuring the success of key interventions, including the involvement of Members of Parliament in community service delivery.
Community participation is also being prioritised as Tanzania explores new approaches to malaria control.
In June, as the world marked World Malaria Day, Ministry of Health Director of Research, Policy and Innovation Tumainieli Macha said community involvement was central to the success of new interventions.
“It is true that for this initiative to succeed, there must be close collaboration with communities. Since the research began about three years ago, we have ensured that communities are engaged, informed and given space to ask questions,” he said.
Macha said residents in study areas had been involved in efforts to understand mosquito behaviour, breeding sites and transmission patterns. Public education campaigns had also been conducted to explain existing malaria interventions and emerging technologies such as gene drive.
According to the World Health Organization, malaria remains a major global health challenge, with the disease causing hundreds of millions of infections and hundreds of thousands of deaths each year, most of them in Africa.
Tanzania continues to carry a significant malaria burden, with more than 90 per cent of its population living in areas at risk of transmission.
The country recorded about 3.8 million confirmed malaria cases and 25,500 deaths in 2023, highlighting the continued impact of the disease.
Tanzania also accounts for roughly 4 per cent of global malaria deaths and remains among a small group of countries carrying a disproportionately high share of the global burden.
The government’s expanded prevention, treatment and community-based interventions are aimed at reducing that burden as Tanzania works towards its 2030 malaria elimination target.