Category: WHO Guidelines

World Health Organization, 2021

Validation of elimination of mother-to-child transmission, or vertical transmission, of HIV, syphilis and hepatitis B virus (HBV), is an attestation that a country has successfully met standard criteria for elimination, or for being at 1 of the 3 levels of achievement on the ‘Path to Elimination’ while delivering quality services for women, girls and their children, through the life-course, respecting human rights and ensuring gender equality and community engagement.

This document, the third version, adds on EMTCT of hepatitis B virus (HBV), bringing together a package of interventions and metrics to support integrated management and monitoring of vertical transmission across a wide range of epidemiological and programmatic contexts.

World Health Organization, 2020

This governance guidance provides further detail on the standardized structure and processes used to validate the elimination of the mother-to-child transmission (EMTCT) of HIV and syphilis. This publication serves alongside and as a supplement to the Global guidance on the criteria and processes for validation: elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV and syphilis (global EMTCT guidance), the four country assessment tools on EMTCT of HIV and syphilis and the pre-assessment tool on EMTCT of HIV and syphilis and termed path to elimination (PTE).

World Health Organization, 2019

WHO recommends that pregnant women receive testing for HIV, syphilis and hepatitis B (HBSAg) at least once during pregnancy, preferably in the first trimester.

Dual HIV/syphilis rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) can be used as the first test for pregnant women as part of antenatal care (ANC) in place of an HIV-only RDT.

These simple tests can be used at the point-of-care and are cost-saving compared to standard testing in ANC. They enable more women to be diagnosed with HIV and syphilis so that they can access treatment and prevent transmission to their children.

World Health Organization, 2017

Since the publication of the WHO Guidelines for the management of sexually transmitted infections in 2003, changes in the epidemiology of STIs and advancements in prevention, diagnosis and treatment necessitate changes in STI management.​

This guideline provides updated recommendations for syphilis screening and treatment for pregnant women based on the most recent evidence and available serologic tests for syphilis.

World Health Organization, 2016

This comprehensive WHO guideline provides global, evidence-informed recommendations on routine antenatal care. The guidance aims to capture the complex nature of the issues surrounding ANC health care practices and delivery and to prioritize person-centered health and well-being, not only the prevention of death and morbidity, in accordance with a human rights-based approach.

World Health Organization, 2016

Outlines rationale, objectives, target audience, and structure of guidelines for the treatment of Treponema pallidum (syphilis).​

Provides evidence-based recommendations for the treatment of specific clinical conditions caused by Treponema pallidum which includes early latent, late latent, and congenital syphilis.

Supports and provides directions to countries as they develop national treatment recommendations.

World Health Organization, 2013

This manual provides a basic understanding of the principles of laboratory tests in the context of screening and diagnostic approaches, as well as antimicrobial susceptibility testing, as components of STI control. Syphilis is addressed in Chapter 10.

World Health Organization, 2012

Mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) of syphilis (commonly referred to as “congenital syphilis”) is relatively simple to eliminate and it is inexpensive to detect and treat, making it a possible “easy win” in terms of cost, feasibility and speed of scale-up.

Investing in screening and treatment for syphilis in pregnant women ranks as one of the most cost-effective antenatal interventions. Screening all pregnant women, using simple and low-cost technologies, is feasible, even in low-resource settings. Syphilis is easily cured with penicillin, and MTCT of syphilis is easily prevented when pregnant mothers with syphilis infection are identified early and treated promptly. Penicillin is off patent, widely available, on the World Health Organization (WHO) list of essential medicines and, above all, inexpensive.