Malaria continues to be a major contributor to the burden of disease in Tanzania, with a prevalence of 33.39 percent nationally. As antimalarial resistance to sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine in Tanzania continues to grow, the government is in the process of changing its national policy regarding first-line treatment for uncomplicated malaria to an artemisinin-based combination therapy (ART). ACT, a new type of antimalarial drug combination, has proved to be effective at treating malaria and reducing malaria transmission. The PHRplus project, on behalf of the Roll Back Malaria \ud
Partnership in conjunction with the World Bank, undertook a costing study to estimate the five-year financing needs and identify financing gaps for procurement of three possible ACT combinations, Coartem®, artesunate amodiaquine (ART AQ), and ArtecomTM. The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria award for malaria during the fourth round of proposals will cover the majority of the first year of public sector ACT implementation if Coartem® (with a financing gap of US$1.4 million) is chosen, or the bulk of public sector implementation for the full five-year period under ART AQ or Artecom. ACT funding must be secured for the medium- to long-term future. Financing for the purchase of ACTs is likely to come from the Global Fund, the World Bank, and the various other partner agencies
