Affiliations 

  • 1 Ministry of Health Malaysia
MyJurnal

Abstract

Introduction: HIV and syphilis testing has been part of Malaysia’s comprehensive maternal & child health pro-gramme for more than 2 decades. Part of this antenatal package include lifelong antiretroviral (ARV) treatment to HIV+ pregnant women, free antiretroviral therapy (ART) prophylaxis/ infant formula for all HIV-exposed infants and appropriate management for syphilis positive antenatal mothers. The objective of this paper is to present the analysis of Malaysia’s achievement in obtaining the elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV (eMTCT) and syphilis status from the World Health Organisation (WHO). Methods: This survey is based on our surveillance and analysis of data on HIV and syphilis testing on pregnant women over a three-year period, beginning from 2015. Results: Malaysia’s national health survey revealed 97.4% of pregnant women in Malaysia had a minimum of four antenatal visits. The MOH’s surveillance system also showed 95.1% and 95.8% of pregnant women received HIV/ syphilis screening in 2015 and 2016 respectively, whilst the HIV vertical transmission rate declined from 16.12% in 2000 to 2.46% and 1.99% in 2015 and 2016 respectively. Congenital syphilis rates declined from 6.0 / 100,000 live births in 2012 to 5.0 and 4.0/ 100,000 live births in 2015 and 2016 respectively. In addition, more than 95% of antenatal mothers living with HIV received ARV and almost 100% of TPHA positive (Treponema pallidum haemagglutination) of expectant mothers received appropriate treatment. Conclusion: Based on such impressive findings, Malaysia was recognised by WHO in May 2018 as the first country in the Western Pacific Region to have successfully “eliminated” a significant public health problem.