The Maldives Achieves Hepatitis B, HIV, Syphilis Triple Elimination

The World Health Organization (WHO) today announced that the Republic of the Maldives has validated the Maldives for eliminating mother-to-child transmission (EMTCT) of hepatitis B, while maintaining its earlier validation for EMTCT of HIV and syphilis.

This makes the Maldives the first country in the world to achieve 'triple elimination'.

Mother-to-child transmission leads to infections that affect millions worldwide. In the WHO South-East Asia Region alone, provisional estimates indicate that in 2024, more than 23,000 pregnant women had syphilis and over 8000 infants were born with congenital syphilis.

About 25,000 HIV-positive pregnant women require treatment to prevent transmission to their babies, while hepatitis B continues to affect more than 42 million people in the Region.

"Maldives' achievement is a testament to its unwavering commitment towards universal health coverage, to provide quality and equitable care across its dispersed islands to all, including migrants," said Dr Catharina Boehme, Officer-in-Charge, WHO South-East Asia Regional Office, in a press release on October 13, 2025.

"This landmark feat is an important step towards 'Healthy Beginnings, Hopeful Futures,' for improving maternal and newborn health by ending preventable deaths and prioritizing long-term well-being. I congratulate the Maldives and look forward to the country pioneering progress in many other areas, while sustaining these gains."

Located in the eastern Arabian Sea, within the northern Indian Ocean, the Maldives is a tourist favorite destination.

As of October 14, 2025, the U.S. CDC recommends various routine and travel vaccinations before visiting the Maldives this year.