Tanzania has a number of health facilities ranging from the small privately owned clinics and dispensaries to the bigger facilities like health centers and referral hospitals. Common diseases are malaria which accounts for most deaths while Pneumonia is a common disturbance among the infants. The prevalence of HIV/AIDS was approximately 3.1% as of 2012. Anti-retroviral treatment coverage for people with advanced HIV infection was 30 percent as of 2011; 7% below the average for the continent. According to the 2011 UNAIDS Report, HIV prevalence has declined among pregnant women attending antenatal clinics, young people (ages 15–24 years) and men in the general population.
Travelers are advised to take medical advice at least three weeks before leaving for Tanzania. Most visitors will need vaccinations for Hepatitis A, typhoid, yellow fever and polio. Those arriving from an infected country are required to hold a yellow fever vaccination certificate. There is a risk of malaria all year and outbreaks of Rift Valley Fever occur; travelers should take precautions to avoid mosquito bites.
Food prepared by unlicensed vendors should also be avoided, as meat and milk products from infected animals may not have been cooked thoroughly. Sleeping sickness is a risk in the game parks, including the Serengeti, and visitors should take precautions against bites by tsetse flies. Cholera outbreaks are common throughout the country and visitors are advised to drink bottled or sterilized water only.
Travelers climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro are at risk for altitude sickness. Medical services are available in Dar-es-Salaam and other main towns, but facilities and supplies are limited; visitors with particular requirements should take their own medicines. Comprehensive medical insurance is advised.