Objective: To assess the prevalence of anti-tuberculosis drug resistance in a national representative sample of tuberculosis (TB) patients in Tanzania according to recommended methodology.
Design: Cluster survey, with 40 clusters sampled proportional to size, of notified TB patients from all diagnostic centres in the country.
Results: The survey enrolled 1019 new and 148 retreatment patients. The adjusted prevalence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains resistant to any of the four first-line drugs in new patients was 8.3%, while the prevalence of multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) was 1.1%. In retreatment patients, the crude prevalence for any resistance and for MDR-TB was respectively 20.6% and 3.9%. The prevalence of drug resistance did not differ in relapse patients compared to failure patients. These estimates are among the lowest in those African countries with an estimated level of drug resistance in the last 5 years.
Conclusion: The low levels of drug resistance in Tanzania are likely due to a well performing TB control programme and the absence of noticeable involvement of the private sector in TB treatment.