Dominica eliminates mother-to-child HIV transmission

ROSEAU (CMC): THE DOMINICAN government has welcomed the island’s certification for the elimination of motherto-child transmission of HIV and syphilis, saying it is a step towards Dominica’s achievement of its sustainable development goals (SDG).

“What we are celebrating here this evening is truly a remarkable achievement. Dominica has been able to maintain 95 per cent or more coverage of antenatal care and skilled attendance at birth,” Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit said at the ceremony at which the World Health Organization (WHO) certification was made.

He said that the island had also achieved 95 per cent or more coverage of HIV and syphilis screening of pregnant women, zero incidence of parental HIV per 1,000 lives of genital syphilis.

“As a result there has been no recorded cases of mother-to-child transmission of HIV and syphilis in the Commonwealth of Dominica over the past four years,” Skerrit said, adding that the “achievements of the dual elimination targets has additional positive implications as it contributes for Dominica to reach other sustainable developing goals”.

He said these SDGs include the reduction of maternal and child mortality, universal access to sexual and reproductive healthcare services and universal healthcare coverage while contributing to the reduction in inequalities.

The Pan American Health Organization said Dominica has joined seven other Caribbean countries that have received the dual validation.