New 20-minute test that could help prevent thousands of infant deaths

For many pregnant women across Africa, a visit to a local clinic may be their only interaction with the healthcare system before giving birth.

That brief encounter often becomes a crucial opportunity to identify health risks that could affect both mother and child.

Yet despite progress in maternal healthcare, many women continue to leave clinics without being screened for some of the most serious diseases that can be passed from mother to baby.

Now, a new integrated antenatal care panel is seeking to change that by combining three separate screenings into a single rapid test, a move health experts say could help close long-standing gaps in maternal healthcare across the continent.

For years, HIV, syphilis and hepatitis B screening in many healthcare systems has been managed through separate programmes.

While intended to tackle individual diseases, the approach has often created gaps that leave mothers and newborns vulnerable.

The impact can be severe. Across Africa, an estimated 98,000 babies are born with HIV every year, while congenital syphilis contributes to around 85,000 stillbirths.

Hepatitis B also remains a major concern, with up to 95 per cent of infants infected at birth developing chronic liver conditions later in life.

Screening rates also vary significantly between diseases. HIV testing coverage in antenatal settings stands at around 80 per cent, but syphilis screening falls to roughly 50 per cent. Hepatitis B screening remains even lower at approximately 20 per cent.

This means that while a pregnant woman may be tested for HIV during her visit, she could leave without being screened for other conditions that pose serious risks to her baby.

The new integrated Antenatal Care (ANC) Panel aims to simplify the process.

Using a single finger-prick blood sample, the test screens for HIV, syphilis and hepatitis B simultaneously and delivers results in under 20 minutes.

Instead of requiring multiple tests and separate procedures, healthcare workers can provide comprehensive screening during a single clinic visit.

The approach is especially important in settings where women may not return for follow-up appointments.

"There is no reason why mothers or children in Kenya should not have access to best-in-class innovations that mothers in Canada or London have," said Aziz Abdi, General Manager for Abbott's rapid diagnostics business in Central and West Africa.

A key feature of the integrated panel is its use of fourth-generation HIV testing technology.

Many standard third-generation HIV tests detect antibodies produced by the body after infection, which may take several weeks to appear.

The newer technology also detects the HIV P24 antigen, a component of the virus that can appear much earlier.

This allows infections to be detected within approximately 10 days after exposure, reducing the period during which a person may unknowingly test negative despite being infected.

Earlier diagnosis creates a better opportunity for treatment and intervention, reducing the chances of mother-to-child transmission.

Health experts also point to long-term financial benefits linked to the integrated approach.

Beyond reducing the need for multiple test kits and separate processes, preventing disease transmission can significantly lower future healthcare costs.

Avoiding a single HIV transmission case can eliminate lifelong treatment costs, while preventing congenital syphilis and hepatitis B can reduce spending linked to serious complications such as organ damage, liver disease and cancer.

A health economic study currently underway in Kenya is expected to provide more data on the potential financial impact and savings associated with investing in early maternal screening.

The rollout of the new ANC panel also marks a shift in how healthcare innovations reach the continent.

Instead of receiving new technology years after wealthier countries, African countries are expected to become the first to adopt the integrated system.

The move positions the continent not simply as a recipient of healthcare innovation, but as a leader in shaping a more efficient approach to prenatal care.