Tanzania is among the countries in Sub Saharan Africa severely hit by the HIV epidemic
impacting both the economic and social sectors. The HIV prevalence varies across the
country, from 1.5-15% (TACAIDS 2013, NMSF 2013), but on average 5.1% of adults are
infected, the prevalence being almost twice as high among women (6.2%) as compared to
among men(3.8%) (THMIS 2011/12). Younger women are especially vulnerable to HIV
infection, have limited decision-making power over their sexuality and are infected at an
earlier age than men. HIV infection rate among Key populations such as Men who have sex
with Men (MSM), injecting drug users (IDU), and female commercial sex workers (CSW) is
2-10 times higher than that of the general population. Around 1.5 million people, of which
730,000 are women and 230,000 are children <15 years of age are living with HIV, while
80,000 Tanzanians died of AIDS in 2012, immediately being replaced by another 83,000
newly infected of whom 14,000 were children (UNAIDS global epidemic report 2013).
As a strategy to end the epidemic the UNAIDS’ released a new set of targets, referred to as “90-
90-90” to halt the spread of HIV by 2020 and eliminate the disease by 2030. The aim is to
ensure that 90% of individualsinfected with HIV are tested; 90% of those living with the disease
receive treatment, and 90% of patients have an “undetectable” virus in their bodies (UNAIDS
2014). This is a follow up of the Global call for achieving an AIDS-free generation through
elimination of new HIV infections among children by 2015, which unfortunately is yet to be
achieved.