THE government has demanded the Chief Medical Officer to the government to work round the clock to stem disease outbreaks that could bring about the risk of international travel restrictions.

President Samia Suluhu Hassan issued this directive at the swearing-in ceremony for newly appointed top government servants. Laying accent on the role of the chief medical officer, she urged the incoming office holder Dr Grace Magembe to closely work with her team to control disease outbreaks especially on the country’s borders.

The team must diligently carry out their duties, she said, asserting that the role of the chief medical officer is crucial to forestall disasters, so it demands considerable alertness.

Disease outbreaks could result in our country being labelled by other nations as a disease hotspot, potentially leading to travel restrictions, she reminded the audience

She similarly asked the newly sworn-in judges of the Court of Appeal to uphold the independence of the Judiciary and ensure the fair and impartial administration of justice.

"Let the independence of the judiciary be observed effectively to deliver justice for all Tanzanians,” she said, demanding that judges be a catalyst for change in their respective spheres of service.

Chief Justice Prof. Ibrahim Juma, noted that appointing additional judges to the Court of Appeal will help address challenges such as case backlogs.

Increasing the number of judges from 35 to 39 will assist in reducing the backlog of cases and similarly cut the number of inmates in remand prisons, he said.

He cited remarks from the Prisons commissioner general last year that appointing more judges had significantly reduced overcrowding of remandees.

With the prison system's capacity set at 29,000 inmates, the number has been cut significantly to allow for 2,000 more inmates, the service chief had asserted.

Dr Magembe, appointed to replace Prof Tumaini Nagu, previously served as deputy permanent secretary for Regional Administration and Local Governments in the President’s Office (PO-RALG).

Meanwhile, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) has announced plans to mobilize immediate support to help Tanzania combat its latest Marburg virus outbreak.

In a statement issued yesterday, Africa CDC confirmed the deployment of a team of 12 public health experts within the next 24 hours.

“This followed Tanzania's declaration of an outbreak in the northwestern Kagera region, with one confirmed case and 25 suspected cases reported.” the statement affirmed.

The multidisciplinary team will include epidemiologists, risk communication specialists and experts in infection prevention, control and laboratory diagnostics, it said.

Their mission is to assist in surveillance, diagnostics, case management and community engagement efforts to curb the spread of the highly infectious and often fatal disease, it elaborated.

Africa CDC emphasized its collaboration with Tanzanian authorities to ensure coordinated efforts and to secure high-level political commitment for the response.

Jean Kaseya, the Africa CDC director general, said the continental public health agency is committing $2m to bolster Tanzania's immediate response measures, for deploying experts, enhancing diagnostic capabilities and supporting case management systems.

"Africa CDC stands firmly with Tanzania in this critical moment. Building on Tanzania's commendable response during the 2023 outbreak, we are confident that swift and decisive action, combined with our support and those of other partners, will bring this outbreak under control," he said.

The latest outbreak marked the East African country's second encounter with the deadly virus, following a previous outbreak in March 2023 that resulted in nine cases and six deaths, on the basis of Africa CDC data.