Kampala – With a total investment of US$25 million*, Unitaid is taking a major step to improve maternal and newborn health by helping countries eliminate vertical (mother-to-child) transmission of HIV, syphilis, hepatitis B, and Chagas disease. Led by PATH, the SAFEStart+ project will focus on integrating high-quality care into a common service delivery platform – antenatal care – to drive efficiencies while greatly expanding the reach of vital screening and treatment for women and babies.
Each year, these four preventable infections affect millions of pregnant women and contribute to more than 1 million cases of avoidable illness, disability, or death among newborns. When left undiagnosed or untreated, they can cause stillbirths, chronic illness, and lifelong health complications. The tools to stop transmission – simple diagnostic tests and affordable treatments – already exist but they do not reach populations in need due to fragmented markets, limited manufacturing capacity, and underfunded delivery systems, among other challenges.
SAFEStart+ will support countries and communities in designing and scaling integrated, people-centered services that meet local needs. This includes expanding access to new diagnostics that can detect multiple infections with a single test and reinforcing antenatal care services to deliver preventive treatment when it matters most.
“With timely access to the right interventions, these diseases are entirely preventable,” said Dr. Philippe Duneton, Executive Director of Unitaid. “Unitaid’s investment is about more than just products – it’s about partnering with women and communities to reimagine how care is delivered to ensure every baby has a healthy start.”
Designed to reach those most at risk, including adolescents and women with limited access to care, SAFEStart+ will support community-led monitoring and enable local community and civil society organizations to co-design people-centered solutions in nine countries. Community partners WHA and ICWEA will lead efforts to design tailored models that break down barriers like stigma and gender inequity, helping build trust and drive uptake of services while advancing equity and human rights in health systems. SAFEStart+ also focuses on unlocking access to essential products, strengthening community engagement, and ensuring sustainable financing for long-term scale-up.
“Through enabling greater integration and people-centered care, this initiative will increase reach and uptake of life-saving products and services for women and their families,” said Dr. Kimberly Green, Global Program Director, Primary Health Care, PATH. “Eliminating vertical transmission by strengthening country and community leadership, health systems, and primary health care are foundational to our approach.”
“Community-led responses are essential to ending vertical transmission of HIV, syphilis, and hepatitis B,” said Lillian Mworeko, Executive Director, ICWEA. “Through SAFEStart+, ICWEA will amplify the voices and priorities of women to shape services that reflect their lived experiences and realities. By leveraging community-led monitoring and meaningful engagement, we will ensure that prevention and treatment efforts are not only accessible but also equitable and responsive – accelerating progress towards elimination goals and healthier futures for mothers and babies.”
With PATH leading direct implementation, PAHO and WHO will provide technical guidance to support countries to align policy with practice. They will guide evidence generation, coordinate technical alignment across stakeholders, contribute to research protocol development, and validate country progress towards global targets for eliminating mother- to-child transmission.
Through an innovative approach to pool resources, Unitaid is also partnering with Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance and PATH on a learning agenda and implementation science project in four countries to expand hepatitis B birth-dose vaccination and maternal screening and treatment, ensuring timely protection for both mothers and newborns.
Unitaid and PATH’s elimination of vertical transmission partnership is designed to help countries build stronger, more equitable health systems that work for women and families – ensuring that essential technologies are not only developed but delivered to those who need them most. By integrating services, strengthening community leadership, and expanding access to essential tools, Unitaid’s investment in eliminating vertical transmission will help progress towards a world where no child is born with a preventable infection.
SAFEStart+ will operate in Brazil, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Malawi, Nigeria, Paraguay, Senegal, South Africa, Uganda, and Vietnam.
* Unitaid’s investment to eliminate vertical transmission includes US$21 million in support to the SAFEStart+ program, with an additional US$3 million and US$0.8 million to WHO and PAHO, respectively, for technical guidance and support.
ADDITIONAL QUOTES
Rachel Halford, President, World Hepatitis Alliance:
“Working across diseases and putting people with lived experience at the heart of responses is the best strategy to see transformative change in care. SAFEStart+ recognises that integration is not only more efficient, it is essential, and marks a vital step toward ending mother-to-child transmission of HIV, hepatitis B, syphilis, and Chagas. Until now, hepatitis B has often been left out of the maternal and child health conversation, but raising awareness in communities, timely prevention and treatment can change the course of an entire generation. By joining forces, we are ensuring that no mother is left without support, and no child is left vulnerable to a preventable infection at birth.”
Dr. Meg Doherty, Director, WHO HIV, Hepatitis and STIs Programme:
“Committed country leadership is vital to drive triple elimination forward. With less than five years to meet the 2030 targets, success will depend on smart integration, innovation and resilient action—especially in a shifting funding landscape.”
Dr. Barbosa, Director of the Pan American Health Organization:
“This partnership with Unitaid is a pivotal step toward eliminating mother-to-child transmission of key diseases in the Americas. By prioritizing equity and community engagement, we aim to ensure every child has a healthy start.”
Dr. Stephen Sosler, Head of Vaccine Programs, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance:
“To effectively protect every child from preventable diseases, we need solid evidence on what works, where, and why. Through this learning agenda, Gavi is supporting research that drives action—helping countries scale up hepatitis B birth-dose vaccination and maternal screening, and giving more babies a healthier start from day one.”
About Unitaid
Unitaid saves lives by making new health products affordable and available in low- and middle-income countries. Collaborating with partners, Unitaid identifies innovative treatments, tackles market barriers, and quickly delivers solutions to those in need. Since 2006, Unitaid has unlocked over 100 health products, addressing HIV, TB, malaria, women’s and children’s health, and pandemic preparedness. Every year, these products benefit more than 300 million people. Unitaid is a hosted partnership of the World Health Organization.
About PATH
PATH is a global nonprofit dedicated to achieving health equity. With more than 40 years of experience forging multisector partnerships, and with expertise in science, economics, technology, advocacy, and dozens of other specialties, PATH develops and scales up innovative solutions to the world’s most pressing health challenges. Learn more at www.path.org.
Unitaid
Kyle Wilkinson, Communications officer
Mobile: +41 79 445 17 45
Email: wilkinsonk@unitaid.who.int
PATH
Lauren Grella, Senior Director, Marketing and Communications
Phone: +1-206-285-3500
Email: media@path.org
