Maternal and Neonatal Tetanus (MNT) elimination

The initiative and challenges

Table of content The initiative and challenges The partnership The strategies Validating MNT elimination Progress towards global MNT elimination Programmatic update Programmatic update Continued

Why Maternal and Neonatal Tetanus elimination?

In many countries, deliveries take place in unhygienic circumstances

Apart from the risk for a variety of infections for mother and child, there is a serious risk for the mother and child to get infected by tetanus. Once infected, mortality rates are extremely high, especially in areas where appropriate medical care is not available. However, these deaths can be easily prevented by either improving the hygienic conditions of the delivery and/or by immunizing the mothers

The initiative's aim is to reduce the number of cases to such low levels that it is no longer a major problem. Unlike polio and smallpox, the disease cannot be eradicated (the tetanus spores are present in the environment), but through immunization of child bearing age women (CBAW) and of pregnant women, and through the promotion of more hygienic deliveries, the disease can be eliminated (which is defined as less than one case of Neonatal Tetanus per 1000 live births in every district)

A challenge

WHO/J.Vandelaer

At the end of the 1980s, neonatal tetanus was considered a major public health problem. WHO estimated that in 1988, 787,000 newborn children died of neonatal tetanus, hence a rate of 6.5 cases per 1000 live births

In 1989, the 42nd World Health Assembly called for elimination of neonatal tetanus by 1995

In 1990, the World Summit for Children listed neonatal tetanus elimination as one of its goals, which were endorsed by the 44th World Health Assembly in 1991

Due to slow implementation of the recommended strategies, the target date for elimination was postponed to 2000 and later, while adding maternal tetanus elimination as a goal, to 2005.

While progress has been made, by the end of 2008, there still remains 46 countries to eliminate MNT. Activities continue in these countries, to achieve the goal in the near future.

WHO estimates that in 2004 the latest year for which estimates are available, 128,000 newborns died of Neonatal Tetanus. That same year, 52 countries had yet to eliminate MNT.

RESOURCES

Page Last Update 17/12/08

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