New Delhi:In a landmark public health achievement, the World Health Organisation has validated the Maldives for eliminating mother-to-child transmission of hepatitis B, while maintaining its earlier validation for HIV and syphilis.

This makes the Maldives the first country in the world to achieve 'triple elimination', a WHO statement said.

"The Maldives has shown that with strong political will and sustained investment in maternal and child health, elimination of mother-to-child transmission of these deadly diseases, and the suffering they bring, is possible," said WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

"This historic milestone provides hope and inspiration for countries everywhere working towards the same goal," he added.

Mother-to-child transmission leads to infections that affect millions worldwide.In the WHO South-East Asia Region alone, provisional estimates indicate that in 2024, more than 23,000 pregnant women had syphilis and over 8000 infants were born with congenital syphilis.

About 25,000 HIV-positive pregnant women required treatment to prevent transmission to their babies, while hepatitis B continues to affect more than 42 million people in the region, the WHO statement said.

Source:Ndtv