The baseline rate of 19.95% transmissions of HIV to children among women living with HIV in 2017 underscores a critical public health challenge. Although there have been some improvements in HIV mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) rates, the ambitious 2025 target of 2% of women living with HIV transmitting the disease to their children highlights the urgent need to accelerate progress. The figure above shows that mother-to-child transmission rates were decreasing since 2000, but that the decrease plateaued in recent years, requiring a renewed focus on addressing the challenge of MTCT. 

Vertical transmission of HIV and syphilis are preventable through primary prevention of HIV and syphilis infection among women of reproductive age, high coverage of quality antenatal care that includes routine HIV and syphilis screening, and effective follow-up of seropositive women and exposed infants. 

Recommendations 

• Provide comprehensive support in developing national strategic plans, conducting cost analyses, and advocating for increased budget allocations dedicated to services for the prevention of MTCT. The expertise of PASB can help guide legislative drafting and review, policy gap assessments, cost-effectiveness analysis, and resource mobilization strategies, and deliver training designed to reduce MTCT. 

• Routinely conduct data-driven equity analyses to identify disparities in MTCT rates, including disaggregation by socioeconomic factors, ethnicity, and other relevant social determinants of health. This can help identify potential inequities and inform targeted interventions to reduce MTCT effectively across all populations.