South-East Asia region, including India, has eliminated maternal and neonatal tetanus with all eleven countries having reduced the cases to less one than per 1,000 live births, World Health Organisation (WHO) on Thursday said while terming it as a "major" public health feat.
WHO said the Maternal and Neonatal Tetanus Elimination (MNTE) for the region became official after a team of experts successfully validated the remaining four provinces of Indonesia today, the last pocket to achieve the target after India reached the goal last year. "In a major public health feat, WHO South-East Asia region has eliminated maternal and neonatal tetanus with all districts across the 11 countries having reduced the cases to less one than per 1,000 live births. "The achievement demonstrates the commitment of countries in the region to improve maternal and child health, especially neonatal health.
"Persistent efforts and innovative approaches to enhance tetanus vaccination coverage of pregnant women and children, increase skilled birth attendance and promote clean cord practices made MNTE a reality," said Poonam Khetrapal Singh, Regional Director, WHO South-East Asia. Noting that efforts do not end here, WHO said unlike smallpox and polio, tetanus cannot be eradicated as tetanus spores remain stubbornly present in the environment worldwide.
WHO's South-East Asia region comprises Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, India, Indonesia, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Thailand and Timor-Leste. "Tireless efforts of millions of health workers, who overcame huge challenges reaching out to vulnerable communities, and the support of the communities themselves, are invaluable contributions to achieving this goal," Singh said.
Home to nearly one-fourth of the global population, the South-East Asia region is the second among six WHO regions to achieve MNTE, after the European region. Prior to India and Indonesia, Nepal, Bangladesh, Myanmar and Timor-Leste reached the elimination goal and were validated in 2005, 2008, 2010 and 2012, respectively.
