Barbados eliminates mother-to-child transmission of HIV in major health milestone
BRIDGETOWN: Barbados has marked a major health milestone by eliminating mother-to-child transmission of HIV.
The breakthrough is the result of years of collaboration between the country’s government, the World Health Organization (WHO) and other partners to boost HIV services and improve care.
Barbados provides universal healthcare, and HIV testing and treatment are free for all pregnant women. WHO’s assessment, covering the three years from 2022 to 2024, found that 98% of mums-to-be were tested for HIV, and 98% with the virus received antiretroviral treatment.
Barbados joins 26 countries worldwide recognised by WHO for eradicating mother-to-child transmission of HIV, syphilis or hepatitis B, or for being on track to achieve it.
Dr Jarbas Barbosa, WHO Regional Director for the Americas, called it a “proud moment for Barbados, the Caribbean and the global effort to end AIDS in children.
”Robert Benes from the children’s charity UNICEF added: “In Barbados, a diagnosis of HIV during pregnancy no longer has to mean transmission to a child. It means that testing, treatment and care have reached the women and families who need them.”
