23rd September, 2019
Source Unitaid
The World Health Organisation (WHO) on Monday in a statement by the National STD/AIDS Control Programme declared Sri Lanka as a country that has successfully eliminated mother-to-child transmission of HIV.
The relevant certificate for the declaration will be issued to Sri Lanka before the end of 2019, Deputy Director of National STD/AIDS Control Programme, Dr Lilani Rajapaksa, said.
Mother-to-child transmission of HIV is the spread of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) from a woman living with HIV to her child during pregnancy, childbirth, or breastfeeding.
Sri Lanka launched a national endeavour to eliminate this transmission in 2013.
The National STD/AIDS Control Programme said more than 95 per cent of the pregnant women had consented to undergo HIV test by 2016.
According to official statistics, Sri Lanka currently has around 3,200 HIV patients and less than 100 child HIV patients.
The government has said it aims to be HIV free by 2030.