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Published 16:01 IST, December 10th 2019

Sri Lanka: Mother-to-child transmission of HIV and congenital syphilis eliminated

WHO Sri Lanka announced the elimination of mother-to-child HIV transmission and congenital syphilis in Sri Lanka on Tuesday, December 10. 

Reported by: Digital Desk
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World Health Organisation Regional Office for South-East Asia (SEARO) announced the elimination of mother-to-child HIV transmission and congenital syphilis in Sri Lanka on Tuesday, December 10. 

As mentioned by WHO-SEARO, the Global Validation Advisory Committee has found that since 2017, Sri Lanka has not reported any case of mother-to-child transmission of HIV. Congenital syphilis also has consistently been two per 100,000 live births, which is way less than 50 per 100,000 live births needed for the elimination certificate. 

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Sri Lanka is third in line after Thailand and Maldives for the elimination of mother-to-child transmission (EMTCT) of HIV and congenital syphilis in South-East Asia. 

As per a WHO press release, Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh, Regional Director, WHO Southeast Asia, said, “Sri Lanka’s achievement once again demonstrates the country’s commitment to public health and builds on the strong foundation of primary health services that it laid several decades ago.”

Before EMTCT, Sri Lanka was successful in the elimination of polio, maternal and neonatal tetanus, malaria, measles, lymphatic filariasis and controlling rubella.

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Mother-to-child transmission of HIV

Defining WHO, the transmission of HIV from HIV-positive mother to her child during pregnancy, labour, delivery or breastfeeding is called mother-to-child transmission. In the absence of any intervention, transmission rates range from 15% to 45%. This rate can be reduced to below 5% with effective interventions during the periods of pregnancy, labour, delivery, and breastfeeding.

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Congenital Syphilis

Congenital syphilis is an infectious disease caused by a spirochete that can be acquired by the fetus in the uterus before birth. Syphilis is one of the most common sexually transmitted infection. The transmission of the disease from mother to child is known as congenital syphilis. 

It is the second leading cause of preventable stillbirth globally, preceded only by malaria, as mentioned by WHO. 

Other countries that were certified to have eradicated EMTCT-HIV and syphilis are Malaysia, Cuba, and Belarus among others. 

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Updated 16:35 IST, December 10th 2019