Botswana gets recognition for efforts to eliminate mother-to-child HIV transmission
Nnasaretha Kgamanyane | Monday May 26, 2025 13:17
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the country was awarded the prestigious award by the WHO director-general at the plenary session of the Seventy-eighth World Health Assembly. It further stated that Botswana was the first country in the world to meet the criteria for silver tier status on the path to elimination of HIV in 2021.
“Botswana is the first country to achieve gold tier status, by reaching stringent targets in reducing annual case rates of new HIV paediatric infections from <500 per 100 000 live births to <250 per 100 000 live births, and an increase in service coverage from 90% to 95% of antenatal care attendance, HIV testing and treatment of pregnant women living with HIV. Botswana accomplished this within three years thanks to immense efforts by the Ministry of Health, partners, and community stakeholders”, it stated.
The report also noted that the country made noteworthy strides since 2021, including revitalizing its primary healthcare system by integrating HIV services across different tiers of healthcare delivery and improving the quality of community-based health interventions. It further explained that countries attaining a tier on the Path to Elimination, like Botswana, had two percent maternal prevalence of HIV and must had demonstrated that they deliver robust services for pregnant women and their infants, ensuring quality data and laboratory systems, and implement services in a manner consistent with human rights, gender equality and community engagement.
Since 2017, the report says high HIV burden countries that were making progress toward elimination could obtain certification of their progress through the Path to Elimination and its three levels of achievement, bronze, silver, and gold. In 2023, WHO pointed out that it awarded Namibia on the bronze tier for the Path to Elimination of MTCT of HIV. It added that Namibia was also the first and only country to be awarded on the Path to Elimination of MTCT of hepatitis B virus at the silver tier.
“Countries prioritizing the 'triple elimination' of mother-to-child transmission (EMTCT) of HIV, syphilis, and hepatitis B virus (HBV) as a public health priority aim to integrate health service delivery to improve the health and well-being of pregnant women and their children. The criteria for the validation of triple elimination were published by WHO in 2021,” it stated.