Zim moves towards elimination of mother-to-child Hepatitis B

Rumbidzayi Zinyuke

Senior Health Reporter

THE Government has prioritised the elimination of mother-to-child transmission of Hepatitis B joining HIV and syphilis in special interventions to prevent these three serious infectious diseases in routine ante-natal care.

This is expected to facilitate prompt and effective interventions to treat women who test positive, and to prevent transmission of the infection to their children as the country moves towards an HIV-free generation.

Speaking at the fourth quarter 2023 national validation committee meeting on elimination of mother -to-child transmission of HIV, syphilis and hepatatis B (EMTCT), Health and Child Care Minister Dr Douglas Mombeshora said the three diseases posed a significant threat to the well-being of both mothers and their children.

“It is our collective responsibility to ensure that every child in Zimbabwe has the opportunity to be born healthy and free from these preventable infections. The health sector is an important pillar of the Zimbabwe National Development Strategy 1 (NDS1); and therefore, an investment priority of the Government of Zimbabwe. We have made great strides to ensure universal access to health care and improve the health and wellness of our people,” he said.

He said while Zimbabwe had made great achievements in providing HIV services to its people, the country’s performance for women and children was not pleasing. In 2022, only 88 percent of pregnant women living with HIV received antiretroviral treatment for preventing mother to child transmission of HIV. The rate of mother-to-child transmission of HIV was still at 8,1 percent, against a target of less than 5 percent. The 2022 HIV estimates reported that only 65 percent of children below the age of 15 living with HIV knew their status, and only 86 percent were virally suppressed.

“I would like to acknowledge the development of Zimbabwe’s plan for eliminating mother to child transmission of HIV, syphilis and hepatitis B, covering the period from 2023 to 2026. This is a significant milestone indeed.”

“As the country moves towards the last mile to ending AIDS among children, let us address the key bottlenecks of why we continue to see new HIV infections among children.” He acknowledged the technical and financial support from development partners, the Global Fund and from the AIDS levy and promised that the Government was looking at ways of increasing domestic resources to tackle these three diseases towards attaining universal health coverage.

Unicef country representative Dr Tajudeen Oyewale, expressed satisfaction that Zimbabwe was moving from dual elimination of HIV and syphilis to include hepatitis B.

“This a plan that focuses on quality service provision and how to integrate hepatitis in the elimination agenda. It also recognises the need for improved availability and use of data at all levels, across all processes for children and pregnant women living with HIV.

“I am also glad to note that the triple elimination plan not only focuses on biomedical interventions. There are a plethora of societal factors that prevent women from using and adhering to treatment,” he said.

UNICEF was ready to support the Government to firmly position the responses as outlined in the interventions, not only health, but to other social and economic environments that influence HIV programming.

World Health Organisation country representative Dr Jean Marie Dangou said the global body supported the renewed focus to end the epidemics of HIV, viral hepatitis and sexually transmitted infections by making sustained investments in disease responses and leveraging health system resources more strategically.

“We welcome the revitalised national interest in addressing maternal, newborn and child health issues as well as the strong political will shown by Zimbabwe in recently domesticating the Global Alliance to end AIDS in Children and further reviewing the status of progress made since this was established,” he said.

UNAIDS country representative Ms Jane Kalweo said Zimbabwe was ahead of other nations in implementing strategies to combat the HIV epidemic.

“We commit as the UN family to support, mobilise resources because ending mother to child transmission is very important. This is why we continue to come up with such initiatives. You can rely on us for strategic information and data so let us work together to see how to measure not only the 95-95-95 targets, but also the social enablers, the stigma and discrimination, the policies we need to look at issues that are not necessarily happening in the health facilities,” she said.