Number of children with HIV doubled
By Jacqueline Mujuni, in Moshi
Despite the campaigns by various activists and HIV/AIDS campaign
organizations in the country, the number of children with HIV/AIDS in
Kilimanjaro Region has doubled since 2000.
The Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre (KCMC) recorded around 220 children in
2000 while the number for 2004 is 450, according to Dr. Werner Schimana,
paediatrician at KCMC, when presenting a paper to delegates who are visiting
various sites funded by the Global Fund.
The 230-strong delegation is visiting Tanzania to attend the ninth Global Fund
Board Meeting, which aims at fighting HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis, taking
place in Arusha this week.
Pneumocystos pneumonia (PCP) according to Dr. Schimana is one of the indicators
of the HIV/AIDS infection in children and the first child was diagnosed with it
in 1984 at KCMC. Since then the number of infected children has steadily
increased.
Overall, the country has registered about 170,000 children living with HIV/AIDS.
The prescription of Highly Active Anti-Retroviral Therapy (HAART), the therapy
that is composed of multiple anti-HIV drugs which is prescribed to many
HIV-positive people, was first administered to a child in June 2003. The therapy
has enabled the hospital to care for 32 patients this year.
Regarding the transmission of HIV/AIDS from a mother to a child due to prolonged
breastfeeding, it is believed that the risk is 35 to 40 per cent, according to
Dr. Olola Oneko of the Preventive Mother to Child (PMTCT) Services at KCMC.
“By using other methods like ARV, caesarean and non breastfeeding, the number
can be reduced to two to five per cent,” observed Dr. Oneko when presenting a
paper to the delegation.
According to the Regional Medical Officer, Dr. Luciana Maruma, the Voluntary
Counselling and Testing report 2003 reveals that out of the total 9,085 tests
done, 1,137 were positive. “The number has doubled since 2002,” she said.
Meanwhile, out of the primary school students who voluntarily tested for
HIV/AIDS in Kilimanjaro Region, 67 per cent were found negative, according to
the Socio-demographic and Clinical Characteristics of HIV voluntary counselling
conducted by Women Against AIDS in Kilimanjaro (KIWAKKUKI) in collaboration with
KMCMC, Duke University (USA) and other health institutions.
Citing the reasons for testing, the report said that factors such as sexual
behaviour, illness, having multiple partners and exchanging gifts or money for
sex made it important to test primary students.
The chairperson of KIWAKKUKI, Agnes Urassa said, “The centre has received a
number of primary students less than seven years. The centre has also been
receiving a large number of people who are soon to get married; reunited
couples, who have had unfaithful sexual partners; and some who have the
knowledge of IHV/AIDS but need confirmation of their status.”
KIWAKKUKI has 2,000 members and has been fighting HIV/AIDS by encouraging,
empowering and financially assisting women living with HIV/AIDS to enable them
to be more independent so as to carry out their small businesses.
By Jacqueline Mujuni
People getting malaria, the number one killer disease in the
country, has increased in Kilimanjaro Region by 29.8 per cent for under five
years and 33.2 per cent for those above five years.
The Regional Medical Officer, Luciana Maruma said: “After Dar es Salaam,
Kilimanjaro is the region with the highest number of malaria cases.”
A 2003 report reveals that 20,433 out of 92,186 of people in the region being
tested for malaria were positive.
By Kizito Makoye
The US government has reiterated its commitment to assist Tanzania
in its continued effort to fight HIV/AIDS which has so far wrecked havoc to 1.6
million people in the country.
The visiting US Health and Human Services Minister (HHS) Tommy Thompson said on
Tuesday while visiting the Anti Retroviral Treatment and Prevention of Mother to
Child Transmission Clinics (ART) at Muhimbili National Hospital, that his
government will further support the Tanzanian government in its initiative to
prevent new infections and care for already affected people.
He said under President Bush’s leadership, the US is investing time, energy and
resources to the fight against AIDS.
He commended Abott Global Care Initiatives and the fund who are working to fight
HIV/AIDS in the developing world.
“I applaud Abbot for their innovative partnership with the government of
Tanzania that is helping to provide modern hospitals and laboratories, trained
doctors and nurses, and effective health care administration to the people of
Africa,” he stressed.
Muhimbili Hospital staff briefed the Minister on the voluntary counselling and
testing services offered by nearby Muhimbili HIV Information Centre (MHIC).
Abott and the Tanzanian government have been partners since 2000 when the Step
Forward Programme was launched to assist orphans and vulnerable children
affected by HIV/AIDS.
The President of Abott Fund, Cathy Babington said the Fund has been able to
implement a targeted and effective approach that has resulted in testing and
counselling for patients as well as training of health officials.
Attending the occasion was the chairman of Board of Trustees of Muhimbili
National Hospital, Abdulrahman Kinana; Muhimbili National Hospital Dr. David
Trigoning and officials from the Ministry of Health.
Health Minister Anna Abdallah has said that 50 per cent of the patients lying in
hospital beds are suffering from HIV related diseases and consequently the
economy is suffering due to loss of work force.
She said the National Income will be lowered by 15-20 per cent by the year 2010
because of HIV/AIDS.
TAHEA’s future support
uncertain
By Timothy Kitundu, recently in Iringa
As part of the implementation of
its activities in all seven districts of Iringa Region, the Tanzania Home
Economics Association (TAHEA) has supported a total of 1,697 orphans by
providing them with school uniforms and learning equipment in the year 2003.
However, future support is uncertain with donor money not yet being secured.
“We are still pessimistic if we will be able to support all children if the
donors do not extend their support to us after 2004,” TAHEA Iringa Region
Projects Coordinator, Betty Masima told The Express in Iringa recently
She added that the financial constraints are the major challenge facing TAHEA;
however, the Tanzania Commission for HIV/AIDS (TACAIDS) extended its support of
Tsh. 300,000 which catered for 30 children’s schooling at Ulete primary school
while CARE provided Tsh. 25 million that catered for 400 children within the
Mufindi District.
As a measure of generating income and ensuring sustainable support for the
children, CARE authorised TAHEA to procure eight sewing machines and a milling
machine so that proceeds accrued from the two projects could further reinforce
the support.
TAHEA is still implementing this year’s programme of supporting orphans but
details could not be given as the programmes are yet to end. Only 400 children
from Mufindi could not be supported as the donors (under CARE – VSHP project)
could not be extended to 2004.
In terms of challenges, she said, the number of orphans is increasing day by day
and those who qualify for secondary education lack support if they are not
included in the Social Action Trust Fund (SATF) sponsorship.
The other challenges, she said, is that children from Makete District drop out
of school as early as form two and three and others fail to report at their
schools, probably for their engagement in labour as a means of making a living.
“We are also faced with the problem of transport – we have to rely on well
wishers who give us vehicles for ferrying supplies to the schools,” she said.
Since 1999 when TAHEA commenced its support to orphans, a total of 2,502
children have been reached, out of which 1,480 are in primary schools while 115
children are in secondary schools. 80 children were selected to join secondary
schools, seven children have died while 21 have moved out of the region.
By Merline Mhamaka, Morogoro
Acting Morogoro Regional Police Commander (RPC) Stephen Ngowi, has
warned bus commuters to make sure their full names and number seats are written
in their tickets, to avoid confusion, especially in case of accidents.
Ngowi gave the warning following a number of accidents that have happened in the
region, where the injured and the deceased are found with tickets which do not
bear their full names, a thing that makes immediate identification difficult.
Passengers are advised to make sure that their full names are written on their
tickets; if the tickets do not bear their names, then they should reject them.
Bus owners, the acting RPC said, should make sure that their passengers have
tickets which bear their full names and seat numbers, for the passengers’
safety.
The Acting RPC also revealed that he was planning to have a session with the bus
owners in Morogoro Region, to make sure that the buses are driven according to
traffic rules and regulations.
He added that the session would take place before the end of the year, since it
is important to have established passengers’ safety before the festive season
when many people want to celebrate Christmas and New Year at their homes in
upcountry regions.
Many AIDS patients still hiding at home
By Sebastian Gabunga, Sengerema
It has been revealed that a great number of AIDS patients in
Sengerema District, are living at home, without professional care; many orphans
and children living difficult lives are also without proper care.
The statement was given by home based service provider graduates at the end of
their two months training course, held at Folk Development College in Sengerema
town.
The Sengerema District Tumaini Programme in Mwanza Region had discovered that
the number of AIDS patients had increased from 39 to 64 patients in the last two
months.
Adding, the number of orphans and children living in difficult conditions had
also increased from 125 to 207.
The identification exercise was conducted in six hamlets of Ibisabageni,
Nyampulukano, Nyatukala, Mwabaruhi, Kilabela and Nyampande which are in three
wards of Sengerema District.
The findings indicate that still there are many AIDS patients living in homes
undiscovered, the graduates asserted.
They asked the government to make sure the home based service providers do their
work properly, but for that to become a reality their number should be
increased, so as to educate the community on how to identify AIDS patients,
orphans and children living in difficult conditions.
The programme of providing home based service providers, they said, should be
included in the District Council budget, so that the Tumaini Programme can reach
more affected AIDS patients.
MEMKWA gets new push in Meatu District
By Sebastian Gabunga, Meatu
Meatu District Council in Shinyanga Region is gearing up towards
making the implementation of the Primary Education Programme for Missed Ones
(MEMKWA) a success, after the District Education Office was given Tsh. 16
million for training teachers.
In order to make the training programme a success, the District Education Office
in Meatu District has conducted a training course for 113 teachers to enable
MEMKWA teachers teach pupils successfully.
Speaking at the closing of a ten-day training course in Meatu town recently, the
District Education Officer Josephine Mwamilanga said, the District Council had
received Tsh. 16 million for conducting seminars and paying teachers their
accumulated allowances.
The Meatu District Council Director Peter Ngassa, asked MEMKWA teachers to treat
their pupils with love, making sure they are advanced educationally and use the
knowledge they have acquired properly.
Closing the training workshop, Meatu District Commissioner Miraji Pazi, directed
the MEMKWA teachers to use teaching/learning materials, so that the pupils can
acquire knowledge easily.
He called on the MEMKWA teachers to stop caning the pupils, as it may cause them
to leave school, a thing that will increase ignorance in the district.
‘MPs should tackle problem of street children’
By Nestory Ngwega, Tanga
Members of Parliament in Tanga Region have been urged to come
forward and help the increasing number of street children in the region.
The call was made last week by the director of a centre taking care of street
children in Tanga Municipality, Agnes Mhina in an interview with The Express.
Mhina urged leaders to consider the need to sensitize the community on the whole
aspect of helping street children.
Speaking on the work undertaken by her centre, Mhina said the centre is now
taking care of about 20 children from various areas in the municipality.
She however said that the children being offered help are few compared to the
real number of children who need assistance.
“I urge our MPs in Tanga to help us and launch a campaign towards helping the
children, otherwise many children may get involved in criminal activities,”
Mhina pointed out.
Religious organisations urged to preach peace
By Emmanuel Lazaro, Mwanza
Religious denominations in Mwanza Region have been asked to maintain
peace and participate in all development activities.
The call was made by Timothy Budodi who represented Mwanza Regional Commissioner
Daniel Ole Njoolay at the opening of the Choir Display, held last Sunday at
Kirumba Stadium in Mwanza City.
Budodi said the regional government values the great contribution provided by
religious denominations in the region in particular and the nation in general.
It is very important that religious denominations exhort their followers to
abide by their religious beliefs and respect the faiths of others to avoid
religious confrontations, he added.
The Choir Display at Kirumba Stadium incorporated a number of choir groups in
Mwanza City, including the famous singer Beatrice Mhoni from Arusha.
DC urges action from ward leaders
By Nestory Ngwega, Tanga
The Tanga District Commissioner, captain Geofrey Ngatuni has given a
two-week period for all ward leaders to lay down plans for establishing public
secondary schools in their wards.
The DC ordered the construction of secondary schools at every ward in the
district early this year, but some ward executives have not taken the issue
seriously, argued the DC.
After the two weeks, he will visit every ward to learn how they have planned to
build the schools, together with strategies to be used in getting funds for the
schools.
Ngatuni was speaking with teachers in Tanga municipality who participated in a
workshop for teachers who will teach children who did not get opportunity to
attend primary education. The scheme is known as (MEMKWA).
He said apart from efforts done so far in the district to make sure that every
child gets primary education, such efforts must go together with establishing
more public secondary schools to curb the problem of children missing secondary
education despite the good grades they acquire in their final standard seven
examinations.
He said it is a shame that, pupils who perform well in examinations, fail to
join secondary schools because of the scarcity of public schools.
Substandard conditions affect teachers
By Bonventure Mtalimbo, Morogoro
Many deaths of teachers in the Morogoro District are caused by bad
working environment and poor infrastructure.
The secretary of the Teachers’ Service Commission, Gibson Botto said this when
speaking to The Express over the weekend.
Botto said from 1998 to 2003 a total of 94 teachers in Morgoro Rural District
had passed away after suffering from diseases such as tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS.
He added that a report from medical officials shows that the majority of the
teachers in the district are suffering from TB and HIV/AIDS.
He blamed the unhygienic work and residential environment as the causes for TB
and other problem as delays of payment on time as a cause for HIV/AIDS since
teachers stay away from their spouses for a long time waiting for the salaries
in town.
By Kizito Makoye
President Benjamin Mkapa tomorrow will officially open a two day
historic conference of the Great lakes region, bringing together 11 heads of
State seeking to establish a regional framework for adopting a stability,
security and development pact to be dubbed ‘Dar es salaam Declaration’
The meeting to be attended by representatives from Angola, Burundi, Central
Africa Republic, DRC, Kenya Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Sudan, Uganda, Tanzania
and Zambia.UN secretary General Koffi Annan is scheduled to attend the meeting.
The summit will jointly adopt a declaration of Principles on the Consolidation
of security, stability and Development in the great lakes region; such issues as
Peace, democracy and good governance, economic development and humanity will be
top in the agenda.
The declaration would include a follow-up mechanism for program of action and
inter- ministerial committee will be formed to work on protocols for
implementing the declaration.
Several areas had been identified under the theme of peace and security,
including education for peace, the common management of border issue, the
involvement of social actors in conflict prevention, combating crimes and
implementation of disarmament and reintergration.
According to a statement from the United Nations, it was ideal for the
conference to ensure its logic and coherence is to involve every one in the
great lakes region to reach consensus on number of delicate issues.
Special Regional representatives of Women, Youth and NGO’s from core countries
will also have the opportunity to give their messages to the conference
The summit was preceded by pre-summit meeting of ministers for foreign Affairs
of the core countries on Tuesday and Yesterday whose objective was to review and
adopt the Dar es salaam Draft Declaration , a preparatory process of the
International conference and to draft work programme of the summit.
Kenya and Tanzania demanded that environment and the problem of refugees be
included in the preamble of the Declaration to be tabled to the heads of state;
the consequences of war in Burundi and Rwanda had made other countries like
Tanzania to bear huge burden of refugees.
More than one Million Rwandans fled the civil war that followed the genocide in
1994 to neighbouring countries with nearly half of them going to Tanzania.
The Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Jakaya Kikwete
told delegates of ministers, representatives of the United Nations and other
Development partners that it is high time now for the region to get a relief
from decades of endless wars and loss of lives which have consequently ruined
economic development.
Fierce inferno hits two blocks in Dar
By Burton Brown
Fire, believed to have been caused by an electric fault hit two
blocks at Mkwepu Street in the heart of Dar es Salaam yesterday, destroying
properties worth several millions.
The Express reporter at the scene found a five-storey house (number 705)
belonging to the National Housing Corporation in ashes while the second, also
owned by the NHC (plot number 706/24) had suffered minor harm after good
Samaritans rushed to save it before the fire got intense.
According to the owner of the house, Rizwan Haji, the fire erupted at 3.45 pm
and continued up to 6.30pm.
Haji said there were four tenants in the house but he could not evaluate the
total damage caused by the fire.
“I am confused and I cannot explain the total cost of the damage,” said Haji.
Haji and the eyewitnesses told The Express that the fire started soon after the
sudden return of power after a brief cut some few minutes to 4.00 pm.
Two firelighter companies battled the blaze for more than two hours, preventing
the flames from reaching a series of nearby houses.
There were no serious injuries, but a man over 65 years had to be rescued after
failing to find his way out of the building.
“He is alright, only shock seemed to have trouble him,” said Haji.
Dar es Salaam City Fire Fighting Unit emerged at the scene with good equipment,
equalling that of Ultimate Security.
An official with Dar es Salaam Fire Brigade, Bashir Mtamila said the ultra
modern fire truck with plate number STK 954 played a vital role the whole fight.
“It has a long shaft that can reach up to 12 storeys. This has improved our
service,” he said.
Dar es Salaam residents directed their anger to the Tanzania Electric Supply Co.
(Tanesco) for the un-notified power cuts, which can be a cause of accident in
the households.
Malaria part of poverty
Cycle: Mkapa
By Jacqueline Mujuni, in Arusha
There is a direct link between the health of the people and the
health of a nation’s economy, President Benjamin Mkapa declared as he opened the
ninth board meeting of the Global Fund to fight Aids, tuberculosis and malaria,
in Arusha yesterday.
Underlining the need to boost anti-malaria efforts, President Mkapa appealed to
all African governments to live up to the commitments made in successive
summits.
”We know it is possible to save those civilians dying of malaria. Like HIV/Aids,
malaria is both a disease of poverty and a cause of poverty. And like any other
disease the best way to deal with it is prevention.”
Earlier, in the day, the President launched the manufacture of long-life
insecticide treated mosquito nets at A to Z factory in Arusha, the first such
production in Africa.
”It is my hope that coupled with the measures we took to remove taxes; and to
provide subsidies in the form of vouchers for such nets, much progress will be
made in the war against malaria,” he said.
The new five-year treated nets will be sold in the market by the end of this
month. This follows a five-month test after their initial production in December
2003.
The nets, also known as ‘Magic Power’ or Olyset, have been said to reduce
malaria infection by 50 to 60 percent in the country, according to the Chief
Executive Officer of A-Z, Anuj Shah.
With a staff of 1,600, the factory is initially producing about 400,000 treated
nets with the target of reaching 1.2 million by the end of January next year.
The nets will be sold for Tsh.7,500 in wholesale and Tsh.10,000 in retail.
With over 550 million people at risk of contracting malaria in Africa, the
Global Fund in three rounds has approved the disbursement of about US$ 380
million (Tsh. 380 billion) to 35 African countries. The Global Fund has been
fighting malaria, tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS for about three years.
The chairman of the Global Fund who also is the Secretary of United States
Department of Health and Human Services, Tommy Thompson, said, “The Global Fund
is working to finance a total of 108 million bed nets and within five years we
expect to finance 40 million of them.”
Apart from assistance from the Global Fund, Health Minister Anna Abdallah
pointed to efforts made by the government to reduce the cost of treated nets in
the first phase, for distribution to pregnant women and women with children
under five years of age.
The scheme that was launched in October this year will result in pregnant women
paying about Tsh. 750 less, while some will be issued vouchers to collect the
treated nets from their clinics, according to Minister Abdallah.
“Estimates show about two million women in Tanzania are pregnant annually and
with this scheme we might reduce infection rate of malaria, especially among
pregnant women,” she explained.
Statistics show that between 300 and 500 million people are infected by malaria
in the world annually and more than one million people die of it annually; 90
percent of deaths occur in Africa. Maternal deaths caused by malaria touch
around 10,000 each year.
Commenting on reducing production costs, Minister of Industries and Trade, Dr.
Juma Ngasongwa, appealed to Sumitomo Chemicals of Japan and Exxon Mobil of the
US to scale down the prices of raw material for the production of Olyset nets.
Dr. Ngasongwa said: “This will contribute to further reduction of production
costs, thus making Olyset nets more affordable and accessible to Tanzanians.”
Under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP), the production of Olyset was made
feasible by the collaboration of A-Z net factory with the Acumen Fund of US,
Sumitomo Chemical of Japan, World Health Organisation (WHO) Geneva, United
Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) Copenhagen and Exxon Mobil of US.
TZ – favoured habitat for ‘living fossil’
By Kizitto Joseph
Tanzania is scientifically believed to be the natural habitat of the coelacanth,
a rare prehistoric fish until recently thought to have become extinct some 65
million years ago.
Some years ago Comoro was thought to be the fish’s favoured habitat but the
change has been occasioned by increased catches of the fish, dubbed the living
fossil, along the coast of Tanzania.
Senior communication for Marine Parks and Reserve, John Mapepele told The
Express that a total of 17 fish have been caught since September 2003. This year
alone, he said, there have been 15 catches.
Thirteen were registered at Kigombe village in Muheza District, Tanga Region and
one each from Songo Mnara in Kilwa and at Lindibay.
He said the fish is basically of little value as a delicacy but it is of great
scientific value and a tourist attraction. It is believed to have survived the
tectonic winter some 70 million years ago and became extinct some five million
years later.
The Manager of Tanzania Marine Parks and Reserve, Chikambi Rumisha revealed that
archeologically, the fish was contemporary of the dinosaurs which died out at
about the same period. Dinosaur fossils have been discovered in the Rufiji
Valley recently, while earlier discoveries from the area are preserved in a
German museum.
Normally the fish inhabits waters 60 metres deep, which indicates it could be
saved if fishermen stopped casting their nets of that depth, he said.
Local fishermen from Kigombe also confirmed to have caught the fish in the 1970s
and ate it. However the fish is very oily and is not suitable as a delicacy.
The Coelacanth which averages 1.7 metres in length and can weigh up to 100 kg,
is the only surviving member of the ancient super order of lobe fish, the
crossopterygii.