In an impressive public health achievement, the World Health Organization (WHO) has recognized Namibia as the first African nation, and moreover, the only high-burden country globally, to eliminate mother-to-child, or vertical, transmission of HIV and Hepatitis B. The announcement was made by the WHO on Monday.
For these commendable efforts, the WHO bestowed upon Namibia the “silver-tier” status for its progress in controlling and eradicating Hepatitis B, and the “bronze tier” for its advancements in HIV elimination. This recognition has come within the framework of the WHO’s Triple Elimination Initiative which works towards the erasure of mother-to-child transmission of HIV, syphilis, and Hepatitis B. The extensive efforts put forth by the Namibian government to integrate primary health care services with antenatal, child health, and sexual and reproductive health services have been recognized as contributing factors towards this accomplishment.
The recognition is jointly provided by WHO, UNICEF, UNAIDS and UNFPA. WHO confers bronze status on countries that reduce vertical transmission to less than 5 percent overall, and silver status when more than half of a country’s infant population has been vaccinated against Hepatitis B.
Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, WHO’s Regional Director for Africa, praised Namibia’s remarkable progress, stating, “This is a landmark achievement by Namibia that demonstrates the life-saving possibilities of committed political leadership and effective implementation of public health priorities. With concerted efforts, we can accelerate progress to reach the goals of ending mother-to-child transmission of HIV, hepatitis B and syphilis – the triple elimination.”
Historically, Namibia has faced substantial challenges with the HIV/AIDS epidemic. In 2018, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) reported that 13.1 percent of the nation’s population was living with the disease, with some regions experiencing a prevalence rate of up to 36 percent. Disproportionately affected were women and people between the ages of 15 and 24, who accounted for approximately 40 percent of new infections.
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