Zimbabwe's efforts to ensure babies are born free from HIV, syphilis and hepatitis B are being slowed by low hepatitis B screening among pregnant women, despite significant progress in preventing mother-to-child transmission of HIV and syphilis.
The country's hepatitis B surface antigen testing coverage among pregnant women stood at just 15 percent in 2025, compared to 95 percent syphilis testing coverage and 92 percent maternal antiretroviral therapy coverage for HIV, highlighting a critical gap in maternal and child healthcare.
Minister of Health and Child Care Douglas Mombeshora said Zimbabwe has made remarkable progress in integrating HIV, syphilis and hepatitis B services into routine maternal and child healthcare, describing the country's Triple Elimination of Mother-to-Child Transmission (EMTCT) programme as a moral imperative.
Speaking during the National Validation Committee meeting for the Triple Elimination of Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV, Syphilis and Hepatitis B Virus, Mombeshora said the initiative is central to ensuring children are born free from preventable infections while advancing universal health coverage.
He said maternal antiretroviral therapy coverage reached 92 percent in 2025, while the mother-to-child HIV transmission rate declined to 6.45 percent.
Related Stories
However, he said Zimbabwe is targeting coverage of more than 95 percent and a transmission rate below 5 percent, which are the international benchmarks for validation.
Mombeshora also commended Zimbabwe's progress in eliminating congenital syphilis, saying 95 percent of pregnant women were tested in 2025 and 98 percent of those diagnosed received Benzathine Penicillin treatment.
However, he said hepatitis B remains the weakest component of the triple elimination programme.
Mombeshora said that although hepatitis B treatment coverage reached 82 percent in 2025, screening remained low at 15 percent, limiting the country's ability to prevent transmission from mothers to their newborns.
He said Zimbabwe is looking forward to introducing a birth-dose hepatitis B vaccine, which will complement the existing infant immunisation programme and help protect babies from chronic liver disease and other long-term complications associated with hepatitis B infection.
The National Validation Committee meeting is assessing Zimbabwe's readiness for international recognition for eliminating mother-to-child transmission of HIV, syphilis and hepatitis B as the country works to close the remaining gaps in maternal and newborn healthcare.
Leave Comments