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European Parliamentary Study Tour to Tanzania with focus on Malaria Vaccines

16-22 November 2008

European Parliamentarians have recently returned from a week-long study tour to Tanzania held from 16 to 22 November 2008 that focused on Malaria Research/Vaccines and the country’s efforts at combating malaria. The study tour hosted by DSW Country Office in Tanzania offered a deep insight into malaria burden, the challenges and the needs to tackle the disease in Tanzania and provided a concrete overview of the latest progress and findings toward developing malaria vaccines. The Parliamentary Delegation traveled around the country namely to Bagamoyo, Dar es Salaam, Zanzibar, Tanga, and Arusha to visit various malaria prevention, treatment and research projects in order to be introduced to the successes and challenges related to the fight against malaria, with a specific emphasis on the vaccine development field needs.

At the beginning of the week, participants visited the Bagamoyo Research and Training Center which is part of the Ifakara Health Institute and specialised in clinical research. The Parliamentary Delegation was able to learn about the various ongoing drugs and vaccines’ trials and impressed by the progress made so far in the development of malaria vaccines, and most particularly with the RTS,S which is the most promising vaccine candidate about to enter phase III (January 2009). The Parliamentary Delegation also had the opportunity to meet with key Tanzanian Parliamentarians members of the Tanzania Parliamentarians against Malaria (TAPAMA) and the Manager of the National Malaria Control Programme, who provided a concrete overview of the malaria burden in Tanzania and presented their strategies, mobilisation efforts and achievements for reducing malaria burden in the country and emphasised the remaining financial, human, and material challenges.

In Zanzibar, the European Parliamentary Delegation was very impressed by the success of the Malaria Control Programme having achieved a significant reduction of malaria cases and deaths (from 50% to less than 1%) due to the introduction of Artemisine Combination Therapy (ACT) in 2004, the constant provision of Long Lasting Insecticidal-treated Nets (LLINs), and the increased Indoor Residual Spraying (ITS). The Delegation had the opportunity to meet with the Minister of Health of Zanzibar, to visit the Kivunge Laboratory and observe the fumigation process of some houses in a slum area in Zanzibar.

In Arusha, EPF Delegation was able to visit Artemisia store sites and out growers, led by the Africa Artemisia Ltd, which is contracting small scale farmers to grow Artemisia plant. The Delegation was explained that the Artemisine extracted of the Artemisia plant was currently the most efficient ingredient used to cure malaria. In terms of malaria prevention, the Parliamentary Delegation visited DSW Tanzania Office and the Arusha secondary school and was impressed by the high level of awareness about malaria, sexual and reproductive health and HIV/AIDS among young people and congratulated Population Service International (PSI) for the provision of LLINs to the school and DSW Tanzania Office on their advocacy work among youth. Finally, EPF Delegation had the chance to visit the A-Z Factory, which is producing 90 million LLINs per year, guaranteed to last at least five years.

The study tour ended with the visit of the Bombo Hospital, the biggest hospital in the Tanga region, and the Malaria Research Centre of the National Institute for Medical Research (NIMR) where the European Parliamentary Delegation could have an in-depth presentation of the various ongoing and previous research trials carried out so far. While visiting the NIMR’s laboratories, researchers mentioned that the development of malaria vaccines is very complex due to the different types of parasites (falciparum, vivax..) and target groups (children, pregnant women..). Researchers emphasised that it is necessary to increase efforts, partnerships and mobilise more resources for malaria research in order to find appropriate vaccines the soonest. So far, the RTS,S vaccine candidate targeting children under five is the most advanced one with 30 to 40% efficiency. Combined with the existing effective prevention and treatment methods, this malaria vaccine would enable a significant scale down of malaria burden among under fives, and enable to save millions of lives.

The Delegation was very impressed by the level of mobilisation of Tanzanian Parliamentarians, officials, civil society and researchers’ community having led to successful achievements in the fight against malaria in Tanzania, particularly in Zanzibar. Noting the remaining financial, material and human resources challenges, EPF Delegation also recognised the need and urgency to significantly scale-up support for malaria research. Parliamentarians consequently committed to report back on these challenges to their own Government and Parliament in order to help try and shape future aid policies.

The Parliamentary Delegation included two Finnish members of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Population and Development, Hon. Heli Järvinen, MP (Green, Finland) and Hon. Merja Kyllönen, MP (Left Alliance, Finland), two Portuguese Parliamentarians, Hon. Maria Antonia de Almeida Santos, MP (Socialist, Portugal) Chair of the Portuguese All-Party Parliamentary Group on Population and Development and Hon. Teresa Caeiro, MP (Popular Party, Portugal) member of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Population and Development, as well as one Spanish Catalan Parliamentarian, Hon. Maria Rosa Fortuny i Torroella, MP (Liberal Group-Convergència i Unió, Spain) spokesperson for the Committee of Foreign and European Affairs.

The study tour was kindly supported by PATH MVI.