Progress towards triple elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV, hepatitis B and syphilis in Pacific Island Countries and Territories: a systematic review

The diverse geographic, demographic, and societal factors in the Pacific Island Countries and Territories (PICTs) have contributed to unique epidemiological patterns of HIV, syphilis, and hepatitis B. Transmission can be during pregnancy, at the time of birth or via breastfeeding for HIV, and can have long-term adverse outcomes. Given the similarities in prevention of mother-to-child transmission of these infections, coordinated interventions for triple elimination are used. This systematic review has evaluated the peer-reviewed literature, grey literature, and global databases to assess the availability of data to report against elimination targets in the WHO Regional Framework for the Triple Elimination of Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV, Hepatitis B and Syphilis in Asia and the Pacific 2018-2030. The secondary objective is to report on progress towards these targets. The findings show that none of the PICTs are on track to achieve triple elimination by 2030. Amongst the limited publicly available indicator data, there is suboptimal coverage for most indicators. It is important that there is an increase in availability of and access to antenatal care, testing, and treatment for pregnant women. Increased efforts are needed to collect data on key indicators and integrate reporting into existing systems to avoid extra burden.

Funding: Leila Bell was supported by an Australian Government Research Training Program (RTP) Scholarship, Australia. Funding sources had no role in paper design, data collection, data analysis, interpretation, or writing of the paper.