Press Release
President Kikwete inaugurates Nzega HIV Care and Treatment Center
November 3, 2008
President Jakaya Kikwete, along with John Vertefeuille, Tanzania Country Director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), inaugurated the HIV care and treatment facility in Nzega District Hospital in Tabora Region on October 31st. The new center, which supports a national initiative to scale up critical health services for people living with HIV/AIDS in Tanzania, will provide access to critical health service for families and children.
Nzega district has the highest HIV prevalence among the six districts in Tabora region, with pregnant women being particularly vulnerable. To combat this trend, the U.S.-based Elizabeth Glazer Pediatric AIDS Foundation (EGPAF), with U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) funding, began services for prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV (PMTCT) in the district in September 2004 and have expanded to 31 sites, as of September 2008. Since the start of the program, 57,433 pregnant women have been tested in the district, and 3,118 were found to be HIV-positive. Of these women, 2,678 mothers and 846 infants received medicines to prevent HIV transmission.
HIV care and treatment services in the district were started in April 2005 with an initial enrollment of 300 patients, and EGPAF, with PEPFAR support, began in July 2006. By June 2008, 3,600 patients in the district were enrolled in care, and 1,138 were started on antiretroviral treatment.
According to projections, the number of new HIV infections in rural areas of Tanzania – where about three quarters of the country’s population lives – could be twice as high as in urban areas by 2010. This reinforces the need to ensure that sufficient resources for prevention, care and treatment are dedicated to rural areas, and that the needs of women and children are addressed.
Globally, more than 1,000 children are infected with HIV every day, most from mother-to-child transmission. In Tanzania, there are an estimated 140,000 children living with HIV. Without treatment, half will die by their second birthday, underscoring the need to identify and reach HIV-positive children early and ultimately to prevent mother-to-child-transmission of the virus.
Through strong collaboration with the Tanzanian government and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and U.S. CDC through the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation supports 740 PMTCT sites in five regions of Tanzania, and 140 care and treatment sites in four regions. EGPAF aims to increase access to critical prevention and treatment services throughout the country, particularly for women and children.
“By prioritizing women and children in the response to HIV/AIDS, we can help arrest the spread of the virus, and guarantee a more stable and secure future for entire societies,” said EGPAF Country Director Anja Giphart.
The U.S. is a global leader in combating HIV/AIDS worldwide through PEPFAR, the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. This 10-year, $30 billion program, is the largest initiative in history to combat a single disease. Since its inception in 2003, the American people have provided over $817 million to combat HIV/AIDS throughout Tanzania.
The United States will continue to work closely with the United Republic of Tanzania as we strengthen the health of this nation and fulfill President Kikwete’s vision of a “Tanzania free of HIV”.