Mother-to-child STD transmission cases hike in Indonesia; health ministry sounds alarm over issue

A pregnant woman works as a busker in Kelapa Gading, North Jakarta, on April 22, 2020. - Jakarta Post/ANN

JAKARTA, May 13 (Jakarta Post/ANN): The Indonesian Health Ministry has warned against the heightened danger of mother-to-child transmission of HIV/AIDS and syphilis, as the two sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) have seen an uptick in cases in recent years, while the number of pregnant women getting medical attention against these diseases remains dangerously low.

According to ministry data, over the past five years the number of syphilis cases in the country has increased by 70 percent, from 12,000 cases in 2018 to 20,7000 cases in 2022.