At the workshop (Photo: VNA)under the (MoH) held a workshop in the central city of Da
Nang on March 19 to launch a national
action plan on the eradication of mother-to-child transmission of HIV,
hepatitis B and syphilis in the 2018-2030 period.
The event was participated by leaders of the
health departments of central provinces and cities from Nghe An to Phu Yen.
Director of the Department of Maternal and Child Health Nguyen Duc Vinh
said mother-to-child transmission of HIV, hepatitis B and syphilis caused negative
impacts on mother and children health. Especially in remote, mountainous and
border regions and islands, limited access to medical services hinders the eradication
of those diseases, he said.
Vinh proposed participants map out action plans at the provincial level
and mention current difficulties and solutions to carry out the national action
plan in respective localities in the time ahead.
The Department of Maternal and Child Health noted that Vietnam has an
average of nearly 2 million pregnant women each year, with the HIV infection
rate in pregnant women standing at 0.19 percent. As a result, up to 1,520
babies are born with HIV annually as without intervention, the mother-to-child
transmission rate could reach about 40 percent.
The rate of hepatitis B infection in pregnant
women in Vietnam is relatively high, ranging from 9.5 percent to 13 percent.
Hence, women are advised to take a test for the hepatitis B virus before
pregnancy and re-take the test when they are expecting if necessary.
Meanwhile, the number of infants born with syphilis has also shown signs
of increasing. However, only less than 16 percent of expectant mothers take
screening tests for syphilis.
The MoH has instructed the to
devise an annual plan to guide, supervise and coordinate the plan’s activities,
as well as provide technical assistance on the prevention of those diseases in
medical examination and treatment system in obstetrics and paediatrics.
Furthermore, refresher courses will be held regularly to update
knowledge and improve skills for healthcare workers.
Statistics from the World Health Organisation
(WHO) showed that in the Western Pacific region, 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.
The WHO Western Pacific Region have devised a
planning framework to eliminate mother-to-child transmission of HIV, hepatitis
B, and syphilis in the 2018-2030 period, part of a bid to contribute to the
implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals and the Global Strategy for
Women’s, Children’s, and Adolescents’ Health 2016-2030. In addition, the WHO
advised members to build respective s on the triple
elimination of those diseases in 2030.–VNA
Source: VietnamPlus
