Report on 2018–2019 pre-validation assessment of elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV and syphilis in Ukraine (2020)

In 2018 and 2019, pre-validation assessments of elimination of mother-to-child transmission (EMTCT) of HIV and syphilis were conducted in Ukraine using 2015–2017 data for HIV and 2016–2018 for syphilis. The country has achieved remarkable progress towards EMTCT of these infections, evident in the high uptake of antenatal care, testing and treatment for HIV, and testing for syphilis. For the cohort of children born in 2016, the HIV MTCT rate at two months after birth was 1.9%, while at 18 months after birth the rate was 3.7%. At the national level, there are no data available on treatment of syphilis in pregnant women. In 2018, the reported rate of congenital syphilis was 0.3/100 000 live births. The key programme gaps are low coverage of early infant diagnosis in HIV exposed infants, and in testing and treatment of syphilis, which are not in line with WHO guidelines. Ukraine is currently not a candidate country for validation of EMTCT but it has a very strong foundation and commitment to improve interventions for EMTCT of HIV and syphilis. This report provides key recommendations to strengthen EMTCT services and monitoring. WHO will continue to work with MoH/UPHC, UNICEF and partners for strengthening the EMTCT programme aiming for validation in 2021.