DAR ES SALAAM, May 11 (Xinhua) -- Tanzania has continued to strengthen its national immunization program, with child vaccination coverage surpassing the global target, a senior official told parliament on Monday.
Minister of Health Mohamed Mchengerwa said the number of children receiving the third dose of the pentavalent vaccine increased from 2,093,412 in the 2021/2022 financial year to 2,361,701 by March 2026. He made the remarks while presenting his ministry's budget estimates for the 2026/2027 financial year in parliament in the capital, Dodoma.
The minister said the average vaccination coverage rose from 93 percent in 2021/2022 to 94.3 percent by March 2026, exceeding the global target of 90 percent.
Mchengerwa said that as of 2026, Tanzania has maintained a stock of more than 20.2 million vaccine doses in storage facilities, demonstrating sufficient vaccine availability across the country.
He said that free immunization services against 13 vaccine-preventable diseases continued to be provided to children in line with national demand.
The government has also invested heavily in improving vaccine delivery infrastructure to ensure quality services reach target populations, he added. ■