Denmark Achieves Historic Elimination Of Mother-to-child Hiv And Syphilis Transmission

The World Health Organization (WHO) has certified Denmark for nan elimination of mother-to-child transmission (EMTCT) of HIV and syphilis, recognizing nan country's sustained committedness to ensuring each kid is calved free of these infections.

The elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV and syphilis marks a awesome nationalist wellness accomplishment for Denmark. This milestone demonstrates that pinch beardown governmental committedness and accordant finance successful superior attraction and integrated maternal and kid wellness services, countries tin protect each pregnant female and newborn from these diseases."

Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General

The validation, based connected an appraisal by WHO's Regional Validation Committee successful June 2025 and Global Validation Advisory Committee (GVAC) successful August 2025, confirms that Denmark met each required targets from 2021 to 2024, including debased transmission rates and precocious sum of prenatal testing and curen for pregnant women.

"As nan first European Union state to execute this nationalist wellness milestone, Denmark's occurrence is simply a testament to nan spot of its maternal wellness strategy and its long-standing committedness to reaching each pregnant female pinch nan attraction she needs," said Dr Hans Henri P. Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe. "Elimination intends testing and treating at least 95 out of each 100 pregnant women – and keeping caller babe infections beneath 50 per 100 000 births, twelvemonth aft year. Denmark has met these benchmarks done beardown antenatal care, reliable data systems and respect for women's rights. We will support Denmark arsenic it useful toward afloat triple elimination, when it adds hepatitis B." 

Reaching this milestone reflects decades of sustained committedness by objective and nationalist wellness professionals, underpinned by beardown wellness systems and cosmopolitan wellness sum including integrated screening during pregnancy. Denmark's exemplary information systems, robust laboratory capacity, and precocious quality authorities standards person been basal to this success.

"This validation by WHO is simply a proud infinitesimal for Denmark and nan consequence of decades of activity by our health-care professionals, midwives, and nationalist wellness teams to guarantee that each pregnant female receives nan screening and attraction she needs," said Sophie Løhde, Minister for nan Interior and Health, Denmark. "Denmark's cosmopolitan wellness system – built connected adjacent entree for all – has been nan instauration of this achievement. Being nan first state successful nan European Union to scope this milestone is some an honour and a responsibility. We dream our acquisition tin animate and support different countries connected their way to elimination, and we look guardant to completing nan travel pinch nan summation of hepatitis B to execute afloat triple elimination."

Denmark's acquisition demonstrates what is imaginable erstwhile rights‑based policies, high‑quality services, and beardown information systems travel together, providing a powerful exemplary and motivator for different countries seeking to fortify their EMTCT programmes. The state is besides connected way towards validating hepatitis B microorganism elimination. WHO is moving pinch Denmark successful advancing nan triple elimination validation process.

Denmark joins 22 different countries and territories validated by WHO for nan elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV, syphilis aliases hepatitis B virus, aliases certified connected nan way to elimination, on pinch Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Armenia, Belarus, Belize, Bermuda, Brazil, Botswana, Cayman Islands, Cuba, Dominica, Jamaica, Malaysia, Maldives, Montserrat, Namibia, Oman, Republic of Moldova, Saint Vincent and nan Grenadines, Sri Lanka, St. Kitts and Nevis, and Thailand.