Dar es Salaam. Good morning! The Chanzo is here with a rundown of major news stories reported in Tanzania over the weekend.
Heavy rains leave 37 children dead in Tanzania in four months
The spokesperson for the Tanzania Police Force, David Misime, said yesterday that at least 37 children had been killed by ongoing heavy rains in nine regions in Tanzania between January and April 28.
In a statement, Misime said that flash floods swept away some children, and others drowned in flooded wells and ponds.
He added that the children were killed in Arusha, Kilimanjaro, Dar es Salaam, Kigoma, Mwanza, Coast, Katavi, Morogoro and Rukwa regions.
He urged parents and guardians to prevent children from walking away from their homes during the rains.
Misime also urged relevant authorities to install signs in areas that stored water, including wells and ponds.
The Tanzania Meteorological Authority has been releasing daily alerts warning about heavy rains in different parts of the country that were likely to cause flooding with dire consequences.
Tanzania will announce the end of Marburg Virus Disease if no new case is reported by May 31
Health Minister Ummy Mwalimu said on Sunday that the government will have to officially announce the end of Marburg Virus Disease (MVD) in Tanzania if no new case is reported by May 31, 2023.
Mwaimu told journalists that since the Marburg disease was announced, the number of people infected has been nine. Three of them have recovered, and six have lost their lives, including one health worker and an 18-month-old child.
“The government will continue monitoring epidemic diseases, including Marburg disease,” she said. “If no new patients appear after 42 days, that is, by May 31, 2023, then we will officially announce the end of this disease.”
According to Mwalimu, Tanzania has not had any new cases of Marburg Viral Disease since 21 April 21, 2023. To comply with WHO guidelines, Mwalimu said Tanzania would continue with active surveillance in the next 42 days before declaring the country is free from the disease.
“Two Marburg patients who remained in specialised medical facilities were discharged on April 20 and 21, 2023, after being laboratory-confirmed that they no longer have the Marburg virus,” she said.
She thanked health experts, especially those on the front line in Kagera Region; the case management team, the contract tracing team, the dignified burial team and those who provided public education.
Tanzania is back in investment attraction. Or are we?
In the past few weeks, the statement ‘Tanzania is back’ has been used liberally concerning matters of investment attraction.
If we were on a pendulum, we would say Tanzania has swung from being warm and friendly under President Jakaya Kikwete to rigidly hostile under President John Pombe Magufuli to now enthusiastically attempting to be overly welcome to investment attraction under the current President Samia Suluhu Hassan.
Is Tanzania truly back, or is this another phase of attractiveness that could come to pass? Going by the experience, there is a reason to be cautiously optimistic.
Full analysis here.
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