Health Information Systems and Data for Action: Tanzania

In Tanzania, health information systems underpin the planning and monitoring of HPV vaccination across a country of over 67 million people and more than 12,000 health facilities. At the facility level, paper-based tools remain in use, while from the district upward, the Vaccine Information Management System (VIMS) consolidates routine immunization reporting, vaccine stock data, and cold chain inventory — replacing three disconnected Excel-based tools that preceded it in 2019. Key strengths of the current system include data completeness of 98% and timeliness of 94.5%, alongside a robust data quality review process at district and national levels. HPV vaccination was introduced nationally in 2018 and, following a multi-age cohort campaign in April 2024 targeting 9–14-year-old girls, Tanzania vaccinated over 5.4 million girls against a target of 5.1 million, using a dual school- and community-based delivery model. Persistent challenges include double data entry at lower health system levels, limited digital infrastructure in remote areas, inadequate individual-level tracking, and reliance on external funding for system maintenance. Recommended next steps include piloting electronic immunization registries — already underway in three regions — leveraging mHealth tools for defaulter tracing, and strengthening data feedback loops so health workers and communities can act on the data they generate.

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