Book Description

The global community has committed to elimination of mother-to-child transmission, or vertical transmission, of HIV, syphilis and hepatitis B virus (HBV) as a public health priority and reducing global disease burden, quality reproductive, maternal and child health services to a level no longer a public health concern. Achieving and maintaining elimination requires strong political and public health commitment. Strengthened, resilient health systems improve a broad range of services and outcomes while similarities in prevention interventions add to the benefit of an integrated approach. Validation is an attestation that a country has successfully met standard criteria for elimination, or for being at one of the 3 levels of achievement on the ‘Path to Elimination’ while delivering quality services for women, girls and their children, through the life-course, respecting human rights and ensuring gender equality and community engagement. It requires systems that comprehensively identify and monitor new infections and infant outcomes. Establishment of criteria for validation began in 2007 with global consultations while lessons learnt advised publication of 2 editions of global guidance on criteria and processes for validation: elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV and syphilis (the ‘Orange Book’). This document, the third version, adds on EMTCT of HBV, bringing together a package of interventions and metrics to support integrated management and monitoring of vertical transmission across a wide range of epidemiological and programmatic contexts.