HAVANA (Sputnik) — The World Health Organization (WHO) ratified that Cuba maintains its certification of eliminating mother-to-child transmission of HIV (human immunodeficiency virus, which causes AIDS) and syphilis, the Foreign Ministry highlighted.
"The WHO highlights that Cuba has eliminated mother-to-child transmission of HIV and congenital syphilis," the Cuban Foreign Ministry emphasized on its Twitter account.
Cuba was the first country in the world to achieve this status in 2015, following a review led by the Regional Validation Committee, together with the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS).
"Cuba has maintained the elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV and syphilis since 2015, which is an impressive achievement in public health," the WHO statement sent to the Cuban Ministry of Public Health said.
The report that endorsed the certification of this goal in 2015 indicates that Cuba achieved a mother-to-child transmission rate of HIV of 1.85%, below the regional average and below the 2% target agreed by the countries.
HIV, which continues to be one of the biggest global public health problems, has already claimed more than 35 million lives , according to the World Health Organization.
In 2016, one million people died worldwide from causes related to this virus.