A significant health milestone for Jamaica
WE must not allow the news that Jamaica is among the three latest countries to have successfully eliminated the mother-to-child transmission of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and syphilis to get lost in the shuffle. Indeed, as Health and Wellness Minister Dr Christopher Tufton told the Jamaica Observer earlier this month, “It’s a big achievement.” Jamaica, which embarked on the global Prevention of Mother-to-child Transmission Programme in 2004, joins two other nations — Belize and St Vincent and the Grenadines — as the latest countries in the region to achieve this zero-transmission feat.
The achievement, as Dr Tufton said, means that an infected mother can now have her child without fear — once she follows certain medical protocols — of transmitting any of these illnesses to her child. It is the result of the work of many people over the last two decades.
The countries of the Americas fully committed to the cause in 2010, and focused on strengthening prevention and treatment services within the maternal and child health sector, updating guidelines, ensuring the effective screening of pregnant women, monitoring cases, and following-up with HIV and syphilis exposed infants.
In 2015 Cuba made history by becoming the first country in the world to achieve the dual elimination of HIV and syphilis. They were followed in the region by Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Bermuda, Cayman Islands, Montserrat, and St Kitts and Nevis in 2017, and Dominica in 2020.
As Caribbean regional director of the AIDS Healthcare Foundation Dr Kevin Harvey emphasised after the announcement, Jamaica’s achievement is really a signal to the country that not only can we eliminate mother-to-child transmission, but we now have all the tools necessary to actually control the HIV epidemic.
He cited the need to now work on controlling new infections, and congratulated the team from the Ministry of Health and Wellness who worked on the programme.
The World Health Organization (WHO) says, globally, an estimated 1.3 million women and girls living with HIV become pregnant each year. In the absence of intervention, the rate of transmission of HIV from a mother living with HIV to her child during pregnancy, labour, delivery, or breastfeeding ranges from 15 to 45 per cent. The aim of the elimination programme is to meet the WHO target to end the AIDS epidemic as a public health threat by 2030.
Globally, only 19 countries and territories have been certified for eliminating mother-to-child transmission of HIV and/or syphilis, with 11 of them located in the Americas. This statistic only shows how profound Jamaica meeting the milestone is. This achievement holds immense significance for the health, prosperity, and future of our nation, and is cause for celebration and support. By preventing new HIV infections among newborns, Jamaica can significantly reduce the overall prevalence of HIV, moving closer to the goal of an Hiv-free generation. By succeeding in this cause, Jamaica is moving closer to achieving its global health goals. Fewer new infections means a reduced burden on the health system, freeing up resources that can be redirected to other critical areas of public health. Indeed, achieving this goal positions Jamaica as a leader in public health and strengthens its reputation on the global stage. A proud moment indeed.