The World Health Organization (WHO) recently announced that Denmark has eliminated mother-to-child transmission of HIV and syphilis. This makes Denmark the first country in the EU to accomplish this public health achievement.
The certification is given as part of WHO’s global effort to stop mother-to-child transmission and is based on documentation of high screening coverage among pregnant women, safe access to treatment and stable, very low infection rates over time.
“This marks a major public health achievement by Denmark,” said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
“It’s an important pat on the back for the entire healthcare system. For many years, we have had regular screening of pregnant women and ensured rapid treatment when necessary. This is what ensures that children in Denmark today are not born with HIV or syphilis,” says Maria Wessman, senior physician and section head at the Statens Serum Institut.
She emphasizes that the effort must be maintained:
“We must continue to focus on early detection and prevention so that we keep the infection at bay.”
WHO’s certification marks an important step in the continued work to protect future generations from serious infectious diseases.