Tanzania Strengthens Cross-Border Disease Control
Kagera is a key border area in Tanzania and is the gateway to several countries, including Uganda, Burundi and Rwanda. Its strategic position makes it very vulnerable to emerging and reappearing infectious diseases. With the concurrent outbreak of Marburg virus disease (MVD) in Tanzania and Ebola viruses such as Uganda, MPOX and BURUNDI in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, cross-border public health cooperation has never been more urgent.
This urgency prompted Tanzanian Ministry of Health to be supported by the Eastern, Central and Southern African Health Circles (ECSA-HC), who convened a cross-border meeting between Tanzania and Burundi with technical support from the African CDC, the International Organization for Migration and other partners. The meeting was held from February 10 to 12 with a focus on revitalizing the Public Health Emergency Contingency Plan (PHECPS), enhancing disease surveillance, and strengthening joint preparation and response work among border health authorities.
“The region is at high risk of a disease outbreak due to dynamic cross-border movement,” said Josephine Vito Kaing, an environmental health official and epidemiologist at Tanzania’s Ministry of Health. “People travel daily to trade, work, education, religious activities, and even traditional rehabilitation, making coordinated preparation and response crucial.”
The Joint Cross-border Commission, consistent with the International Health Regulations of the World Health Organization (IHR 2005), plays a key role in coordinating health security efforts between Tanzania and Burundi. The committee consists of surveillance teams, border management authorities and health officials from both countries to ensure preparations and responses for a rapid outbreak.
Disease does not recognize borders, and a country’s public health threat can quickly escalate into regional or even global crises. “One of the issues in Tanzania is one in Burundi and beyond. That’s why the Cross-border Commission must be formalized and fully functioned to ensure coordination of prevention and response measures.
He explained that although some countries have a strong Public Health Emergency Contingency Plan (PHECP), differences in readiness, resources and responsiveness pose challenges to coordination. To bridge these gaps, the Cross-border Commission plays a key role in synchronizing disease surveillance efforts, improving information sharing mechanisms, and coordinating response measures to ensure a unified approach across borders.
The Cross-border Commission, which includes national and regional health authorities, border management teams and key stakeholders, has played a role in consistent public health action.
Dr. Mushi Benedict, senior knowledge management and public health expert at ECSA-HC highlights the key challenges in implementing cross-border health and security – co-funding. While some border areas have received financial support for vaccination campaigns and emergency preparedness, others lack the necessary resources, resulting in inconsistent intervention efforts. He explained that despite the willingness of countries to cooperate, the lack of a unified funding mechanism would hinder long-term sustainability. Furthermore, porous boundaries remain a major problem as many travelers use unofficial routes, making disease detection and containment efforts more difficult.
Dr. Nyandwi Stanislas, Technical Director and Resilience for Burundi’s Health Emergency, also agreed with similar concerns. “Despite the establishment of a cross-border commission, the country is often inadequate in human resources in terms of quantity and technical expertise,” he said. Border health officials lack proper training and equipment, making it difficult to implement effective surveillance and containment measures.
Despite efforts to establish structured border health interventions, limited financial resources have prevented countries from expanding their preparation strategies. He called for more investment in joint outbreak response programs and unified disease surveillance measures across the region.
The meeting led to several key protocols, including updating the public health emergency response plan, conducting desktop simulations, i.e. discussion-based exercises, where key personnel gather to evaluate their emergency response strategies, and enhancing joint disease surveillance by improving coordination.
Participants stressed the need to integrate community-based surveillance mechanisms by involving local leaders, traditional therapists and religious figures in healthy communication efforts. Training on ring use (identification, isolation, notification, given) to identify early support cards for sick travelers is a key key area.
The African CDC, the key technical partner of the conference, reaffirmed its commitment to support cross-border public health programs. Neema Kamara, field coordinator of the African CDC’s MVD response at Kagera, stressed that readiness must be prioritized along with response efforts.
“At the CDC, we recognize that response to outbreaks is not enough and we must also invest in preparation. Strengthening border public health information sharing, synchronous surveillance systems, and empowering local staff are key steps to ensure we prevent future crises rather than responding to them,” she said.
The meeting ended with strong calls for international partners, regional entities and governments. Stakeholders urge the formal and sustainable funding of the Transborder Health Commission to ensure long-term coordination beyond donor-funded projects.
Key recommendations include integrating unified standard operating procedures across all border positions, expanding risk communication strategies in multiple languages, and prioritizing joint outbreak preparation programs.
The results of this meeting highlighted a key message-competition should not be a barrier to hygiene and safety. Countries must work together to strengthen regional health systems, synchronize disease response efforts, and ensure that no communities are vulnerable to emerging infectious diseases.
“When we work together, we learn from each other’s successes and challenges. This is the only way we can build a stronger and more resilient health and safety framework for the region,” said Dr Stanislas of Burundi.
As emerging health threats continue to develop, the demand for continued investment in cross-border public health security has never been more powerful. Africa must take bold measures to determine preparations, coordinate surveillance strategies and build resilient health systems – because no country is truly safe until its neighbors are safe as well.
Distributed by Apo Group on behalf of the African Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (African CDC).
