"They are not HIV treatments drugs; they are preventive drugs (PrEP)". Experiences of PrEP uptake among vulnerable adolescent girls and young women in Tanzania.

Introduction: HIV poses a significant global health concern, affecting adolescents among other populations. This is attributed to various vulnerabilities including biological factors, gender inequalities and limited access to comprehensive sexual and reproductive health services in sub-Saharan Africa. In Tanzania, adolescent girls, and young women (AGYW) face double the risk of HIV infection compared to their male counterparts.

Factors associated with adherence to antiretroviral therapy among HIV-positive adolescents and young adult patients attending HIV care and treatment clinic at Bombo Hospital in Tanga region-Tanzania.

Background: Adherence to HIV treatment regimens involves the consistent and correct intake of all prescribed medications. The implementation of antiretroviral therapy (ART) program has significantly reduced mortality among adolescents living with HIV. However, adherence to ART is lower among adolescents compared to other sub-populations and even lower in sub-Saharan Africa.

Challenges and strategies for sustainable and resilient immunization systems in sub-Saharan Africa: A comprehensive scoping review.

Background: Immunization is pivotal for health-related sustainable development, necessitating resilient and sustainable immunization systems. This scoping review explores challenges and strategies for sustained vaccine uptake in the new Decade of Vaccines (2021-2030) within sub-Saharan Africa, encompassing routine and non-routine vaccines.

Methods: The review followed the Joanna Briggs Institute's methodology to examine English-language articles published from January 01, 2021, to May 29, 2023.

Patients' perception on quality of care for prostate cancer at tertiary hospitals in Tanzania: a qualitative study.

Background: Prostate cancer is a common cancer among men globally and its treatment affects quality of life. Poor patients' perception of prostate cancer services may lead to their late presentation for care, often presenting with the advanced stage of the disease. This may vary from one region to another.

Health insurance in rural Tanzania promotes self-care for among patients with non-communicable diseases via their disease management behaviours.

Background: The rise of hypertension (HTN) and diabetes mellitus (DM) in Tanzania underscores the importance of self-care practices (SCP) for disease management. Despite the proven effectiveness of SCP, financial barriers in resource-limited rural areas hinder continuous care. Health insurance (HI) emerges as a critical solution to alleviate financial constraints and support SCP.

Provision of prostate cancer services in Tanzania: perspectives from five tertiary hospitals.

Background: Access to quality prostate cancer services remains a global challenge, particularly in Low- and Middle-Income countries. This is often due to weak health systems that struggle to meet the population's needs. The provision of quality health services to patients with prostate cancer requires a comprehensive approach involving multiple stakeholders and structural inputs.

The unmet mental health needs of adolescents with HIV in eastern Tanzania: Experiences of healthcare providers, adolescents, and caregivers.

Adolescents with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) are at greater risk for mental health problems than their HIV-negative counterparts. However, there is a dearth of evidence on the need for mental health services, including interventions for depression in adolescents with HIV (AWHIV), in most low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). This study's objective was to explore the unmet mental health needs of AWHIV to inform the development and implementation of a psychological intervention for depression in AWHIV in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

HIV viral suppression in the era of dolutegravir use: Findings from a national survey in Tanzania.

Background: Tanzania has made significant progress in improving access to HIV care and treatment. However, virologic suppression among people living with HIV (PLHIV) has not been fully realized. In March 2019, Tanzania introduced a World Health Organization (WHO)-recommended dolutegravir-based regimen as the default first-line regimen.

Trends and correlates in HIV viral load monitoring and viral suppression among adolescents and young adults in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

Background: Adolescents and young adults (AYA) living with HIV have been shown to have lower rates of viral load testing and viral suppression as compared to older adults. We examined trends over time and predictors of HIV viral load monitoring and viral suppression among AYA in a large HIV treatment programme in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

Methods: We analysed longitudinal data of AYA aged 10-24 years initiated on antiretroviral therapy between January 2017 and October 2022.

Perceived barriers and opportunities for implementing an integrated psychological intervention for depression in adolescents living with HIV in Tanzania.

Background: Adolescents living with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) have an increased risk of depression, negatively affecting their adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART) and treatment outcomes. Integrating mental health care in HIV care and treatment settings improves comprehensive care. However, integration remains challenging in Tanzania, like in other high-burden and low-resource settings.

Barriers to exclusive breastfeeding practice among HIV-positive mothers in Tanzania. An exploratory qualitative study.

Background: Ensuring optimal nutrition through early breastfeeding is vital for infant mental development and overall health. HIV infections complicate decisions regarding exclusive breastfeeding, jeopardizing effective infant and young child feeding, which affects nutrition and health outcomes. Recognizing the lack of evidence on barriers to infant feeding in the context of HIV in Tanzania, this study was conducted to explore individual, household, and community obstacles in the Ilala district, Dar es Salaam.

The future of public health doctoral education in Africa: transforming higher education institutions to enhance research and practice.

The African Union and the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a Call to Action in 2022 for Africa's New Public Health Order that underscored the need for increased capacity in the public health workforce. Additional domestic and global investments in public health workforce development are central to achieving the aspirations of Agenda 2063 of the African Union, which aims to build and accelerate the implementation of continental frameworks for equitable, people-centred growth and development. Recognising the crucial role of higher education and research, we assessed the capabilities of public health doctoral training in schools and programmes of public health in Africa across three conceptual components: instructional, institutional, and external.

Mid-level healthcare workers knowledge on non-communicable diseases in Tanzania: a district-level pre-and post-training assessment.

Introduction: Over the past two decades, Tanzania's burden of non-communicable diseases has grown disproportionately, but limited resources are still prioritized. A trained human resource for health is urgently needed to combat these diseases. However, continuous medical education for NCDs is scarce.

Efficacy of mobile phone intervention to increase male partner antenatal care attendance for HIV testing in Moshi municipal, Tanzania: a randomized controlled trial.

Background: HIV partner counselling and testing in antenatal care (ANC) is a crucial strategy to raise the number of males who know their HIV status. However, in many settings like Tanzania, male involvement in antenatal care remains low, and there is a definite need for innovative strategies to increase male partner involvement. This study was designed to evaluate the efficacy of mobile phone intervention increase male partner ANC attendance for HIV testing in Moshi municipal, Tanzania.

National Non-Communicable Diseases Conferences- A Platform to Inform Policies and Practices in Tanzania.

Background: 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.

Neutralizing immunity against coronaviruses in Tanzanian health care workers.

The ongoing vaccination efforts and exposure to endemic and emerging coronaviruses can shape the population's immunity against this group of viruses. In this study, we investigated neutralizing immunity against endemic and emerging coronaviruses in 200 Tanzanian frontline healthcare workers (HCWs). Despite low vaccination rates (19.

Lessons learnt and best practices in scaling up an emergency transportation system to tackle maternal and neonatal mortality: a qualitative study of key stakeholders in Shinyanga, Tanzania.

Objective: 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.

Infant and Young Child Feeding in the Context of HIV: .

Background: Ensuring optimal nutrition through early breastfeeding is vital for infant mental development and overall health. HIV infections complicate decisions regarding exclusive breastfeeding, jeopardizing effective infant and young child feeding, which affects nutrition and health outcomes. Recognizing the lack of evidence on barriers to infant feeding in the context of HIV in Tanzania, this study was conducted to explore individual, household, and community obstacles in the Ilala district, Dar es Salaam.

Non-communicable Diseases Week: Best Practices in Addressing the NCDs Burden from Tanzania.

Background: 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.

Mitigating the Rising Burden of Non-Communicable Diseases through Locally Generated Evidence-Lessons from Tanzania.

Background: 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.

Uptake of Oral HIV Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) and Associated Factors among Female Sex Workers in Tanga, Tanzania.

Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) prevents HIV infection among female sex workers (FSW). WHO recommends the use of Tenofovir disoproxil fumarate for use in oral PrEP regimens (TDF). Emtricitabine (FTC) 200 mg/Tenofovir Disoproxil Fumarate (TDF) 300 mg (Truvada) daily is the approved PrEP regimen in Tanzania.

HIV burden and the global fast-track targets progress among pregnant women in Tanzania calls for intensified case finding: Analysis of 2020 antenatal clinics HIV sentinel site surveillance.

Background: For successful HIV response, updated information on the burden and progress toward HIV elimination targets are required to guide programmatic interventions. We used data from the 2020 HIV sentinel surveillance to update on the burden and factors associated with HIV infection, HIV status awareness, and ART coverage among pregnant women in Tanzania mainland.

Methodology: We conducted the surveillance in 159 antenatal clinics (ANC) from all 26 regions of Tanzania's mainland from September to December 2020.

Exploring activities and behaviours potentially increases school-age children's vulnerability to malaria infections in south-eastern Tanzania.

Background: Strengthening malaria control activities in Tanzania has dramatically declined human malaria infections. However, there is an increasing epidemiological shift in the burden on school-age children. The underlying causes for such an epidemiological shift remain unknown in this context.

Relative resistance of patient-derived envelope sequences to SERINC5-mediated restriction of HIV-1 infectivity.

Pathogenesis of HIV-1 is enhanced through several viral-encoded proteins that counteract a range of host restriction molecules. HIV-1 Nef counteracts the cell membrane protein SERINC5 by downregulating it from the cell surface, thereby enhancing virion infectivity. Some subtype B reference Envelope sequences have shown the ability to bypass SERINC5 infectivity restriction independent of Nef.