“Eliminating mother-to-child transmission of HIV is a major public health achievement for any country, especially for such a large and complex country.”
O Brazil eliminated a transmission vertical (from mother to son) do HIV, a feat validated by the World Health Organization (WHO), which today announced this historic milestone.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stated that “eliminating vertical transmission of HIV is a great feat in public health for any country, especially for a country as large and complex as Brazil”.
“Brazil has demonstrated that, with continued political commitment and equitable access to quality health services, all countries can ensure that all children are born HIV-free and that all mothers receive the care they deserve.”
Brazil thus became the most populous country in the Americas to reach this historic milestone.
According to the WHO, this achievement reflects Brazil’s long-standing commitment to universal and free access to health services through the Unified Health System (SUS), anchored in a robust system of primary health care and respect for human rights.
The milestone was celebrated during a ceremony in Brasília, in the presence of the Brazilian President, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, the Minister of Health, Alexandre Padilha, the director of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), Jarbas Barbosa, and representatives from UNAIDS.
“I am really happy because Brazil has just been certified by WHO/PAHO for eliminating vertical transmission – the first country with more than 100 million inhabitants to achieve this feat”, said Winnie Byanyima, executive director of UNAIDS.
He continued: “They achieved this by doing what we know works, prioritizing universal healthcare, combating the social determinants that drive the epidemic, protecting human rights and even – when necessary – breaking monopolies to guarantee access to medicines.”
According to the WHO, the Brazil met all criteria for the validation of EMTCT (Prevention of Vertical HIV Transmission), including reducing vertical HIV transmission to less than 2% and obtaining coverage greater than 95% for prenatal care, routine HIV testing and timely treatment for pregnant women living with HIV.
In addition to achieving validation goals, Brazil demonstrated the provision of quality services to mothers and their babies, robust data systems and laboratories and a strong commitment to human rights, gender equality and community involvement, the statement said.
According to the WHO, in the last decade (2015-2024) more than 50,000 pediatric HIV infections were prevented in the Americas, as a result of the initiative to eliminate vertical transmission of HIV.
