Elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV and syphilis has been achieved in Belize, Jamaica and St. Vincent and the Grenadines, representing a significant step forward in public health.
The milestone was marked at a commemorative event organized by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) in Kingston, Jamaica, with support from UNICEF and UNAIDS and with the participation of health ministers from the three countries. The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), founded in 1902, works with the countries of the Americas to improve the health and quality of life of its population.
In 2010, the countries of the Americas committed to the elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV and syphilis and endorsed a regional strategy. The strategy was subsequently updated in 2016 under the PAHO Plan of Action for the Prevention and Control of HIV and Sexually Transmitted Infections.
To meet the elimination targets, each of the countries focused on strengthening prevention and treatment services within primary health care and in maternal and child health, updating guidelines, ensuring the effective screening of pregnant women, monitoring cases and following-up with HIV and syphilis exposed infants.
World Health Organisation (WHO) Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, praised Belize for integrating primary disease prevention and treatment into maternal and child health services. Ghebreyesus also commended Jamaica for its civil society organizations’ commitment to human rights and lauded St. Vincent and the Grenadines for investing in robust national laboratory structures.
“While validation is a tremendous accomplishment, maintaining it requires sustained efforts to prevent new infections,” Ghebreyesus stated. “WHO and partners will continue to support all countries in the Americas to strengthen health systems, provide comprehensive services, and ensure the involvement of women in planning and service delivery.”
This brings the total number of countries and territories that have now been certified for eliminating mother-to-child transmission of HIV and/or syphilis to 19. Of these, eleven are located in the Americas.
Cuba became the first country in the world to achieve the dual elimination of HIV and syphilis in 2015. This was followed by Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Bermuda, Cayman Islands and Montserrat and St. Kitts and Nevis in 2017, and Dominica in 2020.
Consequently, new HIV infections among children in the Caribbean have decreased by 25 percent between 2010 and 2022. During that period, annual notified cases declined from 2,000 to 1,500.
Furthermore, reported cases of congenital syphilis in the English-speaking Caribbean now stand at 36 cases per 100,000 newborns, below the goal of no more than 50 cases per 100,000 newborns.
