The WHO certified Sri Lanka as a country which eliminated Neonatal Tetanus and awarded the certificate yesterday, Health sources said.
The Certificate was awarded to Health Minister Dr. Rajitha Senaratne by the WHO Director Genera Dr. Margaret Chan at the Galle Face Hotel, Colombo, yesterday.
Newborns suffer from Neonatal Tetanus when pregnant mothers do not deliver their babies safely under hygienic conditions. But during the past, Neonatal Tetanus was not reported from Sri Lanka, sources said.
Sri Lanka has already eliminated several communicable diseases. Polio had been eliminated in 1993 and Sri Lanka had eliminated Tetanus in 1994. Diseases such as Diphtheria had also been eliminated. Sri Lanka will eliminate Measles by 2018, and expects to eliminate Rabies by 2020, if not sooner. Sri Lanka will be able to eliminate Congenital Rubella within the next two years, the source added.
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