Health Experts Advocate End to Mother to Child Transmission of Diseases
Experts in the health sector have called for increased awareness and interventions if Nigeria is to eliminate Mother To Child Transmission (MTCT) of HIV, Hepatitis B and Syphilis.
The experts, who spoke at a media roundtable in Abuja on Tuesday, said some persons especially women are unaware of the risk certain infections pose to their unborn babies.
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- The roundtable themed: “Reaching Zero Infected Babies: HIV, Hepatitis B, Syphilis Triple Elimination” was organised by the United States’ Centre for Disease Control (CDC).
Speaking at the event, the National Coordinator, National AIDS and STDs Control Programme (NASCP), Bashorun Adebobola, said the aim of every government, including that of Nigeria is to ensure no child is born with any infection.
Read Also: ASWHAN, UN Women Bemoan Continued Mother-To-Child HIV/AIDS Transmissions
Mr Adebobola said although the government in partnership with other stakeholders has put in efforts to achieve zero infected babies in the country, more interventions are still required.
He said one of the major steps is ensuring all women attend antenatal “as this is one way to harvest those of them at risks of infections like hepatitis and syphilis.”
He lamented that in Nigeria, only 67 per cent of women attend antenatal clinics according to the 2018 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS).
“When you look at the 2022 end of the year national data for PMTCT coverage, it is about 34 per cent. So for us to get to 90 per cent or zero infection, we need to do more,” he said.
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