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Aids and HIV: Cuba first to ​eliminate mother-to-baby HIV transmission
http://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/jun/30/cuba-first-eliminate-mother-baby-hiv-transmissionWorld Health Organisation hails ‘one of the greatest public health achievements possible’, five years into regional initiative
Aids and HIV: Cuba first to eliminate mother-to-baby HIV transmission
Lisa O'Carroll
Tuesday 30 June 2015 12.55 EDT
Cuba has become the first country to eliminate the transmission of HIV and syphilis from mother to baby, the World Health Organisation has announced.
The WHO’s director general, Margaret Chan, said it was “one of the greatest public health achievements possible” and an important step towards an Aids-free generation.
Over the past five years, Caribbean countries have had increased access to antiretroviral drugs as part of a regional initiative to eliminate mother-to-child transmission.
HIV and syphilis testing for pregnant women and their partners, caesarean deliveries and substitution of breastfeeding have also contributed to the breaking of the infection chain, said the WHO.