Confirmations of the breakthrough of India eliminating maternal and neonatal tetanus came after a WHO and UNICEF joint team conducted field visits in the last four hotspots where incidence of the infection had remained above acceptable levels.
Maternal and neonatal tetanus — an infection that at its peak killed an estimated 2 lakh adults and children every year — and is expecting an official certification from WHO within two months. This is from the Health Ministry sources as mentioned in this article in the Sunday Express.
Jammu and Kashmir, Nagaland and Meghalaya, and Dadra and Nagar Haveli, which were the last four hotspots where incidence of the infection had remained above acceptable levels as mentioned in this article.
What is maternal and neonatal tetanus ?
Tetanus can be prevented through immunisation with tetanus-toxoid (TT) -containing vaccines. Neonatal tetanus can be prevented by immunising women of childbearing age with tetanus toxoid, either during pregnancy or outside of pregnancy. This protects the mother and also her baby.