The Ministry of Health in Jujuy has announced that the provincial legislature has declared the ETMI Plus (Elimination of Mother-to-Child Transmission Plus) training program as a matter of legislative interest. The program, which began in October and will conclude on December 20, aims to strengthen the public health system’s capacity to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV, syphilis, hepatitis B, and Chagas disease.
The ETMI Plus Management Board consists of several divisions within the Ministry: Maternity, Childhood and Adolescence; Primary Health Care; Central Laboratory; Epidemiology; and the Provincial Department of Biochemistry. This group identified a need for specialized training for healthcare workers who care for pregnant individuals and newborns across the province.
To address this need, a provincial course was launched with an initial enrollment of 200 participants. The training combined asynchronous activities with live sessions. Participants are currently undergoing final evaluations, after which certificates will be awarded to those who pass.
Fourteen instructors from different specialties within the Ministry participated in delivering content related to mother-to-child transmission diseases such as syphilis, HIV, hepatitis B, and Chagas disease. Due to significant interest in this area, plans are underway to continue offering similar training sessions into 2026.
According to the Ministry of Health in Jujuy: “La iniciativa ETMI Plus tiene por objetivo lograr y mantener la eliminación de la transmisión materno infantil de VIH, sÃfilis, enfermedad de Chagas e infección perinatal por el virus de la hepatitis B (VHB). La estrategia regional impulsada por la Organización Panamericana de la Salud (OPS) para erradicar la transmisión de infecciones de madres a hijos, incluye metas de tamizaje, tratamiento y prevención integral, enfocándose en la atención prenatal para proteger la salud de las personas gestantes y sus bebés.” (“The ETMI Plus initiative aims to achieve and maintain elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV, syphilis, Chagas disease and perinatal infection by hepatitis B virus [HBV]. The regional strategy promoted by the Pan American Health Organization [PAHO] for eradicating transmission from mothers to children includes screening goals as well as comprehensive treatment and prevention measures focused on prenatal care to protect pregnant individuals’ health and their babies.”)
