A string of United Nations organisations have hailed the governments of Jamaica, Belize and St Vincent and the Grenadines for eliminating the mother-to-child transfer of both HIV and syphilis.
Speaking at a certification ceremony to mark the achievement Tuesday morning, representatives from UNAIDS, UNICEF and PAHO, called the achievement the result of bold political leadership.
Deputy Executive Director of UNAIDS, Christine Stegling, is calling on other governments in the region to follow suit.
Christine Stegling, Deputy Executive Director of UNAIDS.
UNICEF Rep in Jamaica, Dr Olga Isaza de Francisco, says the milestone is significant, coming on the 35th anniversary of the adoption of the Convention of the Rights of the Child.
Dr Olga Isaza de Francisco, UNICEF Representative in Jamaica.
Jamaica, Belize, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines are the latest countries in the Americas to receive certification from the World Health Organization for eliminating the mother-to-child transmission of HIV and syphilis.
Cuba was the first, in 2015, followed by Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Bermuda, The Cayman Islands, Montserrat, St. Kitts and Nevis, and Dominica.
Cuba was also the first country in the world to achieve the status.
Globally, 19 countries and territories have now been certified for eliminating mother-to-child transmission of HIV and/or syphilis.
Meanwhile, Assistant Director of the Pan American Health Organization, PAHO, Dr. Rhonda Sealey Thomas says while the WHO certification is worth celebrating, it is just the beginning.
Dr Rhonda Sealey Thomas, Assistant Director of the PAHO.
She was speaking Tuesday at the certification ceremony for the elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV and syphilis at the Jamaica Pegasus hotel in New Kingston.
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