Elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV and syphilis
Eliminación de la transmisión materno-infantil del VIH y la sífilis
- Date
- 2015 · confidence high
- Place
- Havana, Cuba
- Credited to
- Cuba's Ministry of Public Health and WHO
- Field
- Life & health
What it is
In 2015 the WHO validated Cuba as the first country in the world to eliminate mother-to-child transmission of HIV and syphilis, thanks to universal screening in pregnancy, antiretroviral treatment and caesarean delivery where appropriate. It was a health-systems milestone that does not rely on new technology.
Validation means that WHO targets were met (fewer than 50 cases per 100,000 births and high coverage), not absolute elimination; it is reviewed periodically.
What it led to
- a WHO validation framework for the elimination of mother-to-child transmission
- an example followed by other countries (Thailand, Belarus, Armenia)
- a model of integrating HIV, syphilis and maternal health programmes