China Targets Eliminating Mother-to-Child Infection of HIV, Syphilis and Hepatitis B

What’s new: China aims to eliminate mother-to-child transmission of HIV, syphilis and hepatitis B by 2025, as these infectious diseases raise the risk of newborns dying and requiring lifelong treatment, according to the National Health Commission (NHC).

By 2025, the country hopes to reduce the rate of HIV transmission from infected mothers to their children to under 2% and hepatitis B transmission to 1% or less, according to an NHC statement published Dec. 30. It also aims to reduce the number of babies infected with congenital syphilis — also caused by mother-to-child transmission — to 50 or fewer per 100,000 live births.