VN strives to erase maternal transmission of HIV, hepatitis B

VN strives to erase maternal transmission of HIV, hepatitis B, syphilis

The Ministry of Health (MoH) organised a workshop in Hanoi on January 8 to launch a national action plan on the eradication of mother-to-child transmission of HIV, hepatitis B and syphilis in the 2018-2030.
VN strives to erase maternal transmission of HIV, hepatitis B, syphilis ảnh 1At the workshop (Photo: hanoimoi.com.vn)
Hanoi (VNA) – The Ministry of Health (MoH) organised a workshop in Hanoi onJanuary 8 to launch a national action plan on the eradication ofmother-to-child transmission of HIV, hepatitis B and syphilis in the 2018-2030.

Thecountry is striving to eliminate the mother-to-child transmission of HIV,hepatitis B, and syphilis by 2030.

Accordingto the MoH’s Department of Maternal and Child Health, Vietnam has an average ofnearly 2 million pregnant women each year, with the HIV infection rate inpregnant women standing at 0.19 percent. As a result, up to 1,520 babies areborn with HIV annually as without intervention, the mother-to-childtransmission rate could reach about 40 percent.

Thenumber of infants born with syphilis has also shown signs of increasing.However, only less than 16 percent of expectant mothers take screening testsfor syphilis.

Meanwhile,the rate of hepatitis B infection in pregnant women in Vietnam is relativelyhigh, ranging from 9.5 percent to 13 percent. Hence, women are advised to takea test for the hepatitis B virus before pregnancy and re-take the test whenthey are expecting if necessary.

Participantsat the workshop also shared experiences from other countries in efforts to end themother-to-child transmission of HIV, hepatitis B, and syphilis, as well asdevised a process to carry out the national action plan in localities andproposed activities for the time ahead.

Statisticsfrom the World Health Organisation (WHO) showed that in the Western Pacificregion, about 180,000 children are infected with the hepatitis B virus annually,while 13,000 and 1,400 others are diagnosed with syphilis and HIV infections,respectively.

TheWHO Western Pacific Region have devised a planning framework to eliminatemother-to-child transmission of HIV, hepatitis B, and syphilis in the 2018-2030period, part of a bid to contribute to the implementation of the SustainableDevelopment Goals and the Global Strategy for Women's, Children's, andAdolescents' Health 2016-2030. In addition, the WHO advised members to buildrespective national action plans on the triple elimination of those diseases in2030.–VNA 
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