By Admin. Updated 4:55 p.m., Tuesday, April 30, 2024, Atlantic Standard Time (GMT-4).
The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) has congratulated the Government of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines on successfully addressing eliminating mother to child transmission of HIV and Syphilis.
In a letter addressed to Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves and dated April 24, 2024, the Executive Director of UNAIDS Winnie Byanyima said:
“I have the honour to write and commend the dedication and commitment of the Government and people of St. Vincent and the Grenadines in achieving certification by WHO of the dual elimination of mother to child transmission (EMTCT) of HIV and syphilis.”
“This achievement signals to the world that ending paediatric HIV and MTCT of syphilis is achievable,” the Executive Director of UNAIDS said in the letter.
She said: “Remarkably 11 of the 20 countries which have been certified are from the Caribbean. This is testament to the resilience and dedication of
St. Vincent and the Grenadines and other Caribbean countries in ensuring health systems with strong maternal, neonatal and child health
(MNCH) programmes that integrate HIV and syphilis interventions into MNCH services and child health care. It is also recognition of strong and
sustained national leadership and commitment to health and EMTCT”.
“Under your leadership, the Minister of Health, the Honourable St. Clair Prince has translated your political commitment to ending AIDS into
action by leading a dedicated team of health care providers, including clinical care managers, MCH nurses, primary health nurses, community
nurses and health aides, laboratory technicians, data and surveillance officers, members of the National Validation Team, including community
representation from women living with HIV, to attain this public health milestone and to continue to maintain this success,” Winnie Byanyima said in the letter.
“St. Vincent and the Grenadines is the sixth country within the subregion of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States to achieve elimination and will be up for re-validation in the next four years.
Sustaining the biomedical and other health systems requirements, alongside human rights, gender and community engagement, particularly of communities of women living with HIV will require continued commitment and support,” the letter stated.
“UNAIDS stands ready to continue supporting
St. Vincent and the Grenadines in maintaining this progress,” the letter further stated.
The development comes just a few months after St. Vincent and the Grenadines achieved another healthy Human Development Ranking Score of 89.
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