The Ministry of Health, in collaboration with the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (US-CDC) and the African Medical and Research Foundation (AMREF), has assessed progress in strengthening health security systems in Kagera Region, particularly in detecting and responding to disease outbreaks.
The assessment, conducted on September 21-22, 2026, focused on activities implemented under global health security programmes and included visits to the Public Health Emergency Operations Centre (PHEOC) at the Mtukula border, community health workers and other sites involved in disease surveillance and response.
The visit is aimed at documenting achievements and lessons from efforts to strengthen Tanzania's preparedness, detection and response to public health emergencies.
Dr Remidius Kakulu, head of border health services, said US-CDC support had contributed to strengthening disease surveillance, detection and outbreak response systems in Tanzania.
He said the collaboration had included support for border health services, development of guidelines, training of health workers, emergency preparedness plans and systems for monitoring disease alerts at community and health facility levels.
The partnership had also contributed to the establishment and strengthening of emergency operations and disease outbreak coordination centres in different parts of the country, Dr Kakulu said.
He said Kagera was an important area for the assessment because of its geographical location and proximity to neighbouring countries that have experienced outbreaks of infectious diseases, including Marburg.
US-CDC communications chief Faith Carmichael commended the Tanzanian government for measures taken to strengthen preparedness and response to disease outbreaks, particularly in Kagera.
She said US-CDC would continue working with Tanzania to strengthen health systems and support timely control of disease outbreaks.
AMREF project manager for community-based surveillance, reporting and management of disease outbreaks and other health events Lusungu Ngairo said the organisation's involvement was aimed at strengthening collaboration with the Ministry of Health and US-CDC.
She said the partnership focused on improving community-level surveillance, reporting and response to outbreaks and other health events that could affect communities.
At the Mtukula border, the officer in charge of border health services, Remijius Kibiki, said health workers regularly conduct preparedness exercises to ensure they can respond quickly to suspected outbreaks, including Ebola.
He said when a traveller is suspected of having an infectious disease, health workers take immediate measures to isolate the person, provide safe care and prevent transmission to other travellers and surrounding communities.
During the visit, the team toured the Public Health Emergency Operations Centre, met regional health officials and visited Kanyengereko village, where a Marburg case was reported in 2023.
The team also met health workers who were involved in managing the case and visited the Mtukula border to assess measures in place for identifying and responding to travellers who may show symptoms of infectious diseases.