Press Releases

USAID Procures Medicines and Medical Supplies for Malaria Epidemic in Muleba and Karagwe Districts

July 21, 2006

USAID/Tanzania, through its U.S. President’s Malaria Initiative, has provided more than $50,000 for the local procurement of emergency medicines and medical supplies to treat children and pregnant mothers suffering from an outbreak of malaria in Muleba and Karagwe Districts in northwestern Tanzania. The drugs, requested by the National Malaria Control Program through the Tanzanian Ministry of Health, will complement inadequate supplies currently available in the two districts. The drugs left Dar es Salaam on Thursday, July 20 and are expected to arrive in Muleba on Sunday, July 23. On arrival, the medicines will be handed over to the District Medical Officers. District health teams will then monitor patients using the medicines and treat any complications as required by the National Malaria Treatment Guidelines.

Malaria epidemics occur periodically in Tanzania where transmission is unstable and residents have lower immunity against the disease. Twelve Tanzanian Districts are periodically prone to malaria epidemics, including Muleba and Karagwe Districts. More than 160 deaths have occurred in the last 2 months in these areas, and this provision of life-saving medicines will help to save lives and cure many who are currently infected with malaria.

The Mennonite Economic Development Associates (MEDA), working through the PMI with USAID to implement the Tanzania National Voucher Scheme (‘Hati Punguzo’), has generously assisted with the logistics of procuring medicines through Tanzania’s Medical Stores Department. MEDA is also helping to arrange for and coordinate the timely delivery of the pharmaceutical products and supplies to the affected districts.

The President’s Malaria Initiative is designed to reduce the prevalence of malaria by 50% in selected countries. Tanzania was one of three countries initially selected with activities currently on-going in mainland Tanzania and Zanzibar.