Cuba Eradicates Syphillis, HIV Transmission to Babies
News from Cuba | Friday, 20 March 2015
Cuba set to become the first country in the world to eradicate Syphillis and HIV transmission to babies.
The World Health Organization is set to confirm Cuba as the first country in the world to have eliminated the STI transmission from mother to child.
Experts from the World Health Organization (WHO) will visit Cuba soon to review if the country can be certified to have eliminated the transmission of HIV and syphilis from mother to child.
In order to receive the certification from the WHO, a country must have a transmission rate in less than 0.5 percent of live births in the case of syphilis and less than 2 percent in the case of HIV. Medical care for pregnant women and access to HIV tests must exceed 95 percent and antiretroviral treatment must be available for 95 percent of seropositive pregnant women.
“We believe Cuba meets the indicated requirements and we hope to receive certification,” said Dr. Rosaida Ochoa, director of the Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Unit.
Dr. Ochoa indicated that 24 experts from the WHO will visit hospitals, clinics, and laboratories in the provinces of Havana, Villa Clara, and Santiago de Cuba.
The Cuban doctor indicated that should Cuba be certified to have eliminated the transmission of HIV and syphilis from mother to child, it would be the first country in the world to do so.
Despite its status as a low-income country, Cuba's medical system is recognized as one of the best in the world.
As an example of Cuba's solidarity with the peoples of the world, Cuban doctors often travel to countries affected by disasters in order to provide medical relief. Cuban doctors recently went to countries in West Africa to help treat the Ebola epidemic, saving the lives of hundreds.
- This article was originally published by teleSUR
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