The use of chiral medicines (possessing center(s) of asymmetric carbon) may cause adverse drug reactions (ADRs). The safety assurance of these medicines is critical. We aimed to evaluate registered and commonly used anti-infective chiral medicines circulating in the Tanzanian market to establish their safety profile to protect public health.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDespite advances in HIV treatment, the burden of viral non-suppression (VNS) remains a treatment success concern, particularly in Sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries. We determined the prevalence and factors associated with VNS for people living with HIV (PLHIV) receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART). This review, registered with PROSPERO (CRD42023470234), conducted an extensive search for evidence, focusing on PLHIV living in SSA on ART from the year 2000 to 19 October 2023, across databases including PubMed/MEDLINE, Embase, Web of Science, and Scopus.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) arise from diverse risk factors with differences in the contexts and variabilities in regions and countries. Addressing such a complex challenge requires local evidence. Tanzania has been convening stakeholders every year to disseminate and discuss scientific evidence, policies, and implementation gaps, to inform policy makers in NCDs responses.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: This study aimed to document lessons learnt and best practices for scaling up an innovative emergency transportation system, drawing insights from the m-mama programme implemented in Shinyanga, Tanzania. The m-mama pilot programme was implemented in phases from 2014 to 2016 in two districts and later scaled up to include all districts in Shinyanga region in 2017. The programme employed an emergency transportation system and technical and operational support of the health system to address the three delays leading to maternal and neonatal mortality.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAims: Development of non-invasive and minimally invasive glucose monitoring devices (NI-MI-GMDs) generally takes place in high-income countries (HICs), with HIC's attributes guiding product characteristics. However, people living with diabetes (PLWD) in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) encounter different challenges to those in HICs. This study aimed to define requirements for NI-MI-GMDs in LMICs to inform a target product profile to guide development and selection of suitable devices.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe burden of renal diseases is increasing in developing countries like Tanzania. Drug accumulation exposes patients with renal impairment to drug toxicity that may lead to adverse drug reactions, poor adherence to treatment, and increased healthcare costs. There is limited information on the appropriateness of dosage regimen adjustment for patients with renal impairment, particularly in developing countries such as Tanzania.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTanzania adopted a Dolutegravir (DTG)-based regimen as first-line treatment in 2019 following the World Health Organization recommendation. Data on the DTG safety profile from sub-Saharan Africa including Tanzania are limited. We investigated the incidence of DTG-related adverse events (AEs) and associated factors among people living with HIV (PLHIV) initiated on a DTG regimen.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Five million people die every year from non-communicable diseases (NCDs) globally. In Tanzania, more than two-thirds of deaths are NCD-related. The country is investing in preventive and advocacy activities as well as interventions to reduce the burden.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The burden of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) is rapidly increasing globally, and low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) bear the brunt of it. Tanzania is no exception. Addressing the rising burden of NCDs in this context calls for renewed efforts and commitment by various stakeholders.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEvidence on the additional benefit in treatment and recovery process among PWDUD using digital health interventions is lacking. This study aimed to describe the acceptability of using a digital intervention to increase information access for PWDUD in Tanga region, Tanzania. This study was conducted among 465 participants in Tanga, a coastal region on the Northeast of Tanzania has the second highest number of PWDUD in Tanzania.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDifferentiated service delivery (DSD) models, such as adherence clubs (ACs), are client-centred approaches where clinically stable people living with HIV (PLHIV) meet to receive various services, including psychosocial support, brief symptoms screening, and refills of antiretroviral medications, among others. We conducted a review to assess the impact of DSD models, including ACs, on sustaining retention in care (RC) and achieving viral suppression (VS) among PLHIV in sub-Saharan Africa. The review protocol was registered in PROSPERO (CRD42023418988).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn achieving the sustainable development goal 3.1, Tanzania needs substantial investment to address the three delays which responsible for most of maternal deaths. To this end, the government of Tanzania piloted a community-based emergency transport intervention to address the second delay through m-mama program.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMaternal mortality comprises about 10% of all deaths among women of reproductive age (15-49 years). More than 90% of such deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC). In this study, we aimed to document lessons learnt and best practices toward sustainability of the m-mama program for reducing maternal and newborn mortality in Tanzania.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTanzania has one of the highest cervical cancer incidence and mortality rates in sub-Saharan Africa. The Tanzanian Ministry of Health developed an integrated adolescent health program, HPV-Plus, that combines HPV vaccination with additional health services: nutritional assessments, vision screening, and vaccination for adolescent girls, and education for all genders. This qualitative descriptive study evaluated the acceptability of the HPV-Plus program in two districts in Tanzania.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTanzania reported its first COVID-19 case on 16 March 2020. We conducted event-based surveillance of COVID-19 suspect cases among pharmacy clients presenting with respiratory symptoms and influenza-like illness to increase early and rapid detection of COVID-19 cases and mitigate transmission. We conveniently sampled 103 pharmacies from Dar es Salaam, the epicentre for the COVID-19 pandemic in Tanzania at the time.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTo meet lofty human papillomavirus (HPV) immunization goals in Tanzania, the Ministry of Health integrated HPV vaccination with adolescent health services using a school-based approach. A qualitative study was conducted in June-July 2021, examining the feasibility and sustainability of an integrated service package, HPV Plus. In-depth interviews with 46 programme implementers (i.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Tanzania has experienced an increase in the number of people who use drugs (PWUDs) and people who inject drugs (PWIDs). Understanding the characteristics of PWUDs is crucial to addressing the increasing burden of drug use in Tanzania. This study was set to examine drug use and its related factors among PWUDs in a North Eastern region of Tanzania.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAntimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a current global health threat and a challenge to the treatment of infectious diseases. The WHO advocates a strategy of antibiotic stewardship programs (ASP) in optimizing antimicrobial use in hospitals. This study aimed at assessing the existence of AMR surveillance and ASP implementation in health facilities in Tanzania in the year following the launch of the National Action Plan (NAP).
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