WHO commends Namibia’s efforts to halt mother-to-child transmissions

Dr Mary Brantuo, the World Health Organisation (WHO) Officer in Charge to Namibia has congratulated Namibia for its commendable efforts in eradicating mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) of HIV, syphilis, and the hepatitis B virus (HBV).

Brantuo affirmed that Namibia has achieved several targets for key indicators in this regard.

Brantuo made this statement on Monday during the health ministry's Path to Elimination validation process held in Windhoek.

"The routine programme data indicates Namibia is on the Path to Elimination of MTCT of HIV, Syphilis, and HBV and has met the path to elimination target for several key indicators."

The Triple Elimination Initiative supports the global commitment to eliminate mother-to-child or vertical transmission of HIV, syphilis and HBV.

Exceptional leadership

Brantuo explained that the objectives of the regional validation path to elimination (PTE) process include reviewing the national validation report submitted by the Namibia National Validation Secretariat, developing a regional validation report, and providing specific recommendations to the regional validation secretariat.

In conjunction with this, Brantuo applauded Namibia's "exceptional political, administrative, and financial leadership and strong in-country partnership" and said these factors are largely responsible for the significant progress made towards the elimination of mother-to-child transmission for these three infections.

"We are particularly pleased to see the initial enthusiasm and passion have not waned, and you remained as determined as ever to move with this aspiration to eliminate mother-to-child transmission not only of HIV and Syphilis but also of hepatitis – the triple elimination initiative. I congratulate the MoHSS and all the stakeholders involved for their determination and persistence in this process," she said.

Milestones

According to the WHO, Namibia is the first high-burden country in the Africa Region to apply for triple elimination validation, "a significant achievement."

"To date, only one high-burden country and one in Africa have successfully applied for and been validated as being on the path to the elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV only. This is a huge achievement, and we commend you on this effort," she added.

During his keynote address, the deputy minister of health, Ben Nangombe, revealed that for 2020 the overall mother-to-child transmission rate was 4.02%, 4.41% in 2021, and 4.14% last year, equating to a total transmission case rate of 481 per 100 000 live births in 2020, 486 in 2021, and 486 in 2022.

"Across the last three years, Namibia attained almost 100% of HIV testing among pregnant women attending antenatal care (ANC) in 2020 (99.9%), 2021 (99.5%), and 2022 (99.7%). The antiretroviral therapy (ART) coverage among HIV-positive pregnant women was 99% in 2020, 101% in 2021, and 96.5% in 2022," Nangombe said.

Nangombe added that the process of triple elimination is an ongoing one, and thus the report acted as a lens for identifying existing bottlenecks in Namibia's healthcare sector.

"To this extent, the government, through the ministry of health and other government sectors, will continue to strategically engage with development partners, non-governmental organisations, and the private sector to ensure equitable elimination of mother-to-child transmission service provision and sustainability at all levels," he said.