SUBMENU
Since 2010, PAHO Member States have committed to the elimination of mother-to-child transmission (EMTCT) of HIV and syphilis in the Region. These commitments were renewed and expanded in 2016 through the approved Plan of Action for the Prevention and Control of HIV and Sexually Transmitted Infections (2016-2021), contributing to the end of AIDS and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) as a public health problem in the Americas. The Plan of action expands the EMTCT initiative (called "EMTCT Plus"), leveraging the maternal and child health platform to include the elimination of other preventable communicable diseases in the Americas, such as hepatitis B and Chagas disease.
Candidate countries can apply to the World Health Organization (WHO) through PAHO to be certified for the EMTCT of HIV and syphilis. In the Americas, Cuba in 2015, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Bermuda, Cayman Islands, Montserrat, and St. Kitts and Nevis in 2017, and Belize, Jamaica and Saint Vincent in 2024 were recognized by WHO for the dual elimination.
The objective of the EMTCT Plus is to achieve and sustain the EMTCT of HIV, syphilis, Chagas disease, and perinatal hepatitis B as a public health threat. It embraces the principles and lines of action of the Strategy for Universal Access to Health and Universal Health Coverage.
This is one of the 30 conditions that the Elimination Initiative has proposed to eliminate in the Region of the Americas by the year 2030.
