On April 28, 2025, the Countdown Tanzania country collaboration team held an Immunisation dissemination meeting at Edema Hotel, Morogoro. Present in the workshop were key stakeholders from the Ministry of Health (MOH), Ifakara Health Institute (IHI), PATH International, JSI International, Afya Intelligence, CHAI International, President’s Office, Regional Administration and Local Government Tanzania (PO-RALG), and Health Information System Department (DHIS2).
According to the findings presented in the meeting, which were done by the country collaboration team with support from Countdown, access to immunizations has been a high priority in Tanzania since the establishment of the Expanded Program on Immunizations (EPI) in 1975. Immunizations are provided free of charge in public and private health facilities.
During 2000-2019, the national immunization program steadily achieved and sustained high vaccination coverage above 95%. The COVID-19 pandemic, however, caused a major setback in immunization program performance during 2020-2021. Service and supply chain disruptions, resource diversion to response efforts, and controversies about COVID-19 vaccines caused major declines in routine coverage in the country.
In 2021, the WUENIC (WHO-UNICEF) estimate of penta3 coverage in Tanzania fell to 81%, a level not seen in more than 20 years. The increase in missed children and dropouts particularly affected measles vaccination coverage. Although immunization performance regained pre-pandemic levels in 2022, the large immunity gap caused by the pandemic has increased measles transmission. From July 2022 to February 2023, the country is facing sporadic measles outbreaks in some districts.
The participants also reviewed the chartbook report describing the results for key indicators and general services derived from facility data, survey analyses, and health systems data. The chartbook presents seven components: data quality assessment, facility data adjustment, health facility data denominator assessment, denominator selection, national coverage and equity, subnational coverage review, and analysis of subnational progress and performance.
Following the presentation of the analysis conducted in the chartbook report, it was recommended that the team revise the dataset by incorporating information from the Tanzania Vaccine Information Management System (VIMS) System. Additionally, the analysis should be extended through 2024, as the previous review only covered data up to 2023. Stakeholders advised that the team can provide a more accurate and updated assessment by utilizing the most current system data. Subsequently, it is suggested that the team organize a follow-up dissemination workshop to engage stakeholders further and determine the next steps. This workshop will serve as a platform to inform policymakers and decision-makers about the latest immunization progress and strategize accordingly.
Additionally, the participants were presented with an overview of the Countdown to 2030 initiative. Countdown to 2030 is a global collaboration of academics, UN agencies, regional networks, country institutions, and civil society. It aims to maximize country evidence and capacity to analyze, interpret, and use empirical data, ranging from surveys to health facility and system data, to track coverage levels, trends, and inequalities.
The country collaboration teams, like the Tanzania country collaboration team, comprise a country’s public health or academic institution and the government/ministry of health RMNCAH-N analysts. They work with the CD2030 technical partner, GFF, and other in-country stakeholders.