The Ministry of Health has launched Sri Lanka’s Triple Elimination programme across all maternity clinics, adding Hepatitis B screening to the existing tests for HIV and Syphilis offered to pregnant mothers.
From June 1, blood testing of pregnant mothers at every maternity clinic island-wide will include screening for the Hepatitis B virus alongside HIV and Syphilis, the Ministry said in a statement. The expansion is the next step beyond Sri Lanka’s Dual Elimination programme, which targets mother-to-child transmission of HIV and Syphilis and which the World Health Organization certified in 2019 — making Sri Lanka one of the first countries to achieve that milestone, a status it has maintained.
“As the next step, the Triple Elimination programme has now been launched, ensuring that all pregnant mothers are tested for Hepatitis B alongside HIV and Syphilis. This will be carried out at every maternity clinic island-wide,” the Ministry said.
The expansion lands as the public health system is also tracking a rise in suspected meningitis cases to 237 island-wide — most among schoolchildren — and as the Health Ministry deepens its routine clinical infrastructure in state hospitals across the country.
