Tanzania sets sights firmly on zero HIV transmissions by 2030

Josephine Christopher is a senior business journalist for The Citizen and Mwananchi newspapers

Mwananchi Communications Limitted

What you need to know:

Prime Minister Kassimu Majaliwa said the country’s visionary goal is to make sure that by that time, there will be no new infections and deaths associated with the pandemic

Dar es Salaam. The government said yesterday that Tanzania was making progress in cutting new HIV transmissions, putting the country on the right path to achieve a target of zero transmission by 2030.
Prime Minister Kassimu Majaliwa said the country’s visionary goal is to make sure that by that time, there will be no new infections and deaths associated with the pandemic.
“We target to have zero percentage in new infections, deaths and end all stigma, and discrimination at all levels in the society,” he said this yesterday in Mbeya where the national’s AIDS Day commemoration took place.
Mr Majaliwa’s pledge aligned with this year’s theme for the global day with stated “End inequalities. End AIDS. End pandemics.”
He said currently the country is on a right track on the fight against HIV/AIDS after the number of annual new infection cases dropped to 68, 000 in 2020 from 100, 010 cases that were reported in 2010. Tanzania has also been able to cut down the number of deaths associated with HIV/AIDS by 50 percent in the same period from 2010 to 2020.
“Number of people who died from HIV/AIDS dropped from 64, 000 in 2010 to 32, 000 in 2020,” he said
Some of the strategies to help in the fight against HIV/AIDS include increasing investments from both private and public sectors, bolstering education on HIV and access to sexual reproductive health services especially to young people, improve health coverage and social protection for those already affected by the disease. Though the figures show a drop in numbers we still have a lot to do, for instance we target the number of new cases to be at least less than 20, 000 by last year.
The Premier added: “Also in preventing mother-to-child transmission, we targeted a five percent rate, however we have managed to surpass the target to seven percent last year from 18 percent in 2010,”
With all these efforts the Prime Minister stated that financing needs in the fight against HIV/AIDS prevention projects is still high.
On behalf of development partners the United States’ Ambassador to Tanzania Dr Donald Wright stated that its time now for the government of Tanzania to develop durable plans to increase domestic resource mobilisation for HIV/AIDS, pledging full support from his country.
He said this was after recent data shows that over 90 percent HIV/AIDS financing in Tanzania is sourced outside.
“I call for the government of Tanzania to increase domestic funding for HIV response and to focus on strengthening the health system in support of this effort,” said Dr Wright.
The ambassador also insisted on the identification of adults, adolescents and children who don’t know their status, especially those who are hard to reach and support them by providing proper health care.
He later mentioned the need to end Stigma and discrimination which he says pose as key barriers to people living with HIV.