PATH and Unitaid partner with GiveWell to strengthen integrated HIV and syphilis testing for mothers, newborns, and their families
An initiative between PATH, Unitaid, and GiveWell will advance dual testing for HIV and syphilis via primary health care platforms across five countries in Africa.
Mothers and their babies waiting to be seen at a health clinic. Credit: PATH/Trevor Snapp.
GiveWell has committed US$5 million in additional funding to expand the Unitaid-funded SAFEStart+ initiative that aims to prevent transmission of infectious diseases from mothers to their babies across nine countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America.
The additional funding comes at a critical time, as recent disruptions to international health financing have affected countries' ability to procure essential diagnostics, threatening progress towards eliminating the vertical (mother-to-child) transmission of infectious diseases. By building on Unitaid’s US$22 million investment in SAFEStart+, GiveWell’s contribution will be deployed rapidly through existing country-led platforms, helping to protect access to testing while strengthening integrated maternal and newborn health services.
HIV, syphilis, hepatitis B virus (HBV), and Chagas disease can all be vertically transmitted during pregnancy, childbirth, or breastfeeding—causing stillbirth, severe illness, or lifelong health complications. Syphilis alone is estimated to cause approximately 150,000 stillbirths and newborn deaths each year. However, nearly all of these deaths could be effectively prevented through timely testing and treatment during pregnancy.
"Testing and treating syphilis during pregnancy can be a highly cost-effective way to prevent stillbirths and protect newborns," said Meika Ball, New Areas Program Officer at GiveWell. "It is a simple, low-cost intervention that can have an outsized impact on maternal and newborn health. Recent disruptions to global health funding have put access to testing in several countries at risk, and we expect this grant can help close that gap by building on the platforms SAFEStart+ has already established."
“Testing and treating syphilis during pregnancy can be a highly cost-effective way to prevent stillbirths and protect newborns...it is a simple, low-cost intervention that can have an outsized impact on maternal and newborn health.”— Meika Ball, New Areas Program Officer, GiveWell
SAFEStart+ is a multi-country initiative funded and implemented in partnership with Unitaid, and co-led by PATH, the World Hepatitis Alliance, and the International Community of Women living with HIV East Africa. Working with government and community partners, the project is strengthening integrated antenatal and postnatal care by expanding access to timely screening and treatment for HIV, syphilis, HBV, and Chagas disease. This includes scaling up access to diagnostic tools that can detect multiple infections in a single rapid test, enabling faster diagnosis and earlier treatment.
GiveWell’s funding will support the procurement and delivery of dual HIV/syphilis rapid diagnostic tests across the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Malawi, Nigeria, Senegal, and Uganda. The investment builds on the integrated platforms already being established through SAFEStart+ in collaboration with ministries of health, national technical working groups, and community advisory groups.
“Testing is the gateway to prevention. This timely investment will help to defray urgent gaps in HIV and syphilis testing while strengthening the continuum of prevention, treatment, and care for women and their families.”— Dr. Albert Komba, Project Director, SAFEStart+
“Every woman deserves access to care that can protect her health and give her child the healthiest possible start in life,” said Dr. Albert Komba, Project Director for SAFEStart+. “Testing is the gateway to prevention. This timely investment will help to defray urgent gaps in HIV and syphilis testing while strengthening the continuum of prevention, treatment, and care for women and their families."
In addition to procuring quality-assured dual HIV/syphilis rapid diagnostic tests, GiveWell’s investment will support health worker training as well as monitoring, evaluation, and evidence generation to address persistent health system gaps and inform national and global policy on integrated HIV and syphilis testing.
“SAFEStart+ is helping countries move beyond disease-specific programs towards integrated care that meets women’s needs throughout pregnancy and after birth," said Janet Ginnard, Director of Strategy, Unitaid. "By integrating testing, prevention, and treatment into routine maternal and newborn health services, countries can improve outcomes, make better use of limited resources, and build stronger health systems. GiveWell's contribution will amplify the initiative’s impact.”
GiveWell’s co-investment in complementary activities demonstrates how catalytic financing can attract complementary support to protect progress during periods of funding uncertainty. By building on SAFEStart+, the additional investment will help countries sustain momentum toward eliminating vertical transmission while strengthening integrated, people-centered delivery platforms—leading to healthier futures for mothers and their children.
“By integrating testing, prevention, and treatment into routine maternal and newborn health services, countries can improve outcomes, make better use of limited resources, and build stronger health systems.”— Janet Ginnard, Director of Strategy, Unitaid
About SAFEStart+
The Country- and Community-led Scale-up of Accessible, Integrated, and Family-centered EVT plus Services for a Healthy Start (SAFEStart+) project is a multi-country initiative funded by Unitaid and co-led by PATH, the World Hepatitis Alliance, the International Community of Women living with HIV Eastern Africa. It aims to accelerate the elimination of vertical transmission of HIV, syphilis, hepatitis B virus, and Chagas disease by driving greater demand and adoption of evidence-based approaches and integrated delivery strategies for triple elimination across nine priority countries and ten peer-learning countries.
About PATH
PATH is a global nonprofit advancing health innovations with and for the people who need them most. With nearly 50 years of experience, a global team of experts, and trusted partnerships spanning 70+ countries, PATH turns breakthroughs into better health for millions every single year. Learn more at www.path.org.
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 150 health products, addressing HIV, TB, malaria, women’s and children’s health, and pandemic preparedness. Every year, these products benefit around 390 million people. Unitaid is a hosted partnership of the World Health Organization. www.unitaid.org
About GiveWell
GiveWell is an independent, nonprofit research organization dedicated to finding and funding outstanding opportunities in global health and development. Trusted annually by tens of thousands of donors, GiveWell searches for highly cost-effective programs that save or improve lives the most. Since 2007, more than 150,000 donors have given over $2.6 billion through GiveWell to the most promising programs its research has identified.
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Media contacts
PATH: Lauren Grella, Senior Director, Marketing and Communications, Phone: +1-206-285-3500, media@path.org
Unitaid: Kyle Wilkinson, Communications Officer, Phone: +41 79 445 17 45, wilkinsonk@unitaid.who.int
GiveWell: Matthew Kertman, Communications Strategist, media@givewell.org