“When I learned about family planning, I felt like I had control over my life,” said Mwanaisha Rajabu, a 28-year-old mother of three living in Fuoni, a village on the Unguja island of Zanzibar, in the United Republic of Tanzania. “It’s not just about preventing pregnancy; it’s about planning a better future for my family.”
Family planning is often regarded as a taboo subject, an issue that is sensitive and even sexual in nature. But Ms. Rajabu’s comments highlight the profoundly important role of family planning – and the information, health services and medicines that enable it – to the well-being of women, their children, their futures and their communities.
Family planning is essential to enabling women to choose the timing and number of their children, if they want to have children at all.
For Ms. Rajabu, the ideal family size has always been clear. In a country where the average fertility rate is estimated to be 4.5 children per woman, she says, “I always wanted to have a smaller family. But I didn’t know how to access the right information and services.”
The need for options
According to the most recent estimates, some 19 per cent of Tanzanian women who are married or in a union have an unmet need for family planning. Yet filling this need is not always simple.
Decades ago, lack of awareness about and access to contraception were leading reasons for not using any; today, it is fear and concerns over potential side effects. To address these issues, a range of methods must be made available, alongside accurate information about the benefits, side effects and efficacy of each.
Though she wanted a smaller family, Ms. Rajabu had not been using modern contraceptives until health educators, working with a community outreach initiative supported by UNFPA, the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency, explained the various methods available.
After seeking more information from a community health worker, she was able to select an option that suited her needs.
“Family planning has given me the power to choose how many children I want and when to have them,” she said.
A cascade of benefits
The ability to plan ahead enables women like Ms. Rajabu to invest in themselves as well as their children. They can pursue their education, invest in small businesses and allocate resources in ways that improve their health, earning potential and long-term outcomes.
Cumulatively, family planning benefits not only individuals and families but communities as a whole.
“Access to family planning has changed our shehia,” said Juma Abdallah, a local community leader, referring to small administrative areas within Zanzibar.
“Families are healthier, and women are more confident in making choices about their futures,” he said.
Tatu Omar Sharif is one of those women. She lives in Uondwe, an area on the Pemba island of Zanzibar, with her husband and eight children.
“My husband and I didn’t intend to have many children – I was often surprised that I was pregnant again,” she described to UNFPA.
She and her husband learned about family planning together at a UNFPA-supported clinic, and saw it as an opportunity to safeguard their children’s future.
“We want to use a family planning method so we can take good care of the children we already have.”
Focus on a better life
UNFPA works with the health ministry to strengthen family planning services, including widening the range of contraceptive methods available. These include oral contraceptive pills, long-acting reversible contraceptives, injectables, intrauterine devices (IUDs) and condoms.
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From January 2023 to November 2024, with financial support from the United Kingdom, UNFPA delivered enough reproductive health commodities to prevent an estimated 999,000 unintended pregnancies, 271,000 unsafe abortions and 1,300 maternal deaths.
UNFPA also works with governments, NGOs, community-service organizations, faith-based groups, young people and the private sector to strengthen community-based and youth-friendly reproductive health services.
They, like Ms. Rajabu and Ms. Sharif, recognize how reproductive health information and care have benefits that ripple outward from the individual to the family and community, from the present into the future.
“Now,” Ms. Rajabu said, “I can focus on giving my children a better life.”
Source: allafrica.com
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Dar es Salaam — Tanzania’s President Samia Suluhu Hassan has declared an outbreak of Marburg virus, confirming a single case in the northwestern region of Kagera after a meeting with WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
The confirmation follows days of speculation about a possible outbreak in the region, after the WHO reported a number of deaths suspected to be linked to the highly infectious disease.
While Tanzania’s Ministry of Health declared last week that all suspected cases had tested negative for Marburg, the WHO called for additional testing at international reference laboratories.
“We never know when an outbreak might occur in a neighbouring nation. So we ensure infection prevention control assessments at every point of care as routine as a morning greeting at our workplaces.”Amelia Clemence, public health researcher
Subsequent laboratory tests conducted at Kagera’s Kabaile Mobile Laboratory and confirmed in Dar es Salaam identified one positive case, while 25 other suspected cases tested negative, the president told a press conference in Dodoma, in the east of the country today (Monday).
“The epicentre has now shifted to Biharamulo district of Kagera,” she told the press conference, distinguishing this outbreak from the previous one centred in Bukoba district.
Tedros said the WHO would release US$3 million from its emergencies contingency fund to support efforts to contain the outbreak.
Health authorities stepped up surveillance and deployed emergency response teams after the WHO raised the alarm about nine suspected cases in the region, including eight deaths.
The suspected cases displayed symptoms consistent with Marburg infection, including headache, high fever, diarrhoea, and haemorrhagic complications, according to the WHO’s alert to member countries on 14 January. The organisation noted a case fatality rate of 89 per cent among the suspected cases.
“We appreciate the swift attention accorded by the WHO,” Hassan said.
She said her administration immediately investigated the WHO’s alert.
“The government took several measures, including the investigation of suspected individuals and the deployment of emergency response teams,” she added.
Cross-border transmission
The emergence of this case in a region that experienced Tanzania’s first-ever Marburg outbreak in March 2023 has raised concerns about cross-border transmission, particularly following Rwanda’s recent outbreak that infected 66 people and killed 15 before being declared over in December 2024.
The situation is particularly critical given Kagera’s position as a transport hub connecting four East African nations.
Amelia Clemence, a public health researcher working in the region, says constant vigilance is required.
“We never know when an outbreak might occur in a neighbouring nation. So we ensure infection prevention control assessments at every point of care as routine as a morning greeting at our workplaces.”
The Kagera region’s ecosystem, home to fruit bats that serve as natural reservoirs for the Marburg virus, adds another layer of complexity to disease surveillance efforts.
The virus, closely related to Ebola, spreads through contact with bodily fluids and can cause severe haemorrhagic fever.
Transparency urged
Elizabeth Sanga, shadow minister of health for Tanzania’s ACT Wazalendo opposition party, says greater transparency would help guide public health measures.
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“This could have helped to guide those who are traveling to the affected region to be more vigilant and prevent the risk of further spread,” she said.
WHO regional director for Africa Matshidiso Moeti says early notification of investigation outcomes is important.
“We stand ready to support the government in its efforts to investigate and ensure that measures are in place for an effective and rapid response,” she said, noting that existing national capacities built from previous health emergencies could be quickly mobilised.
The situation coincides with leadership changes in Tanzania’s Ministry of Health, with both the chief medical officer and permanent secretary being replaced.
This piece was produced by SciDev.Net’s Sub-Saharan Africa English desk.
Source: allafrica.com
