Endless efforts coupled with innovative approaches to enhance tetanus vaccination coverage of pregnant women and kids, increase skilled birth attendance and clean cord practices seem to have borne fruit: maternal and neonatal tetanus cases have been cut down to less than one per 1,000 live births in 11 nations, including India, of South-East Asia region.
Terming it a major health feat, the WHO said
on Thursday 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 on Thursday, the last pocket to achieve the target after India reached the goal last year.
“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, she 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.