Thailand has become the first Asian country to eliminate mother-to-child transmission of HIV and syphilis, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced on Wednesday.
WHO also applauded Belarus for eliminating mother-to-child transmission of both HIV and syphilis. Armenia and the Republic of Moldova were also recognized by WHO for eliminating mother-to-child transmission of HIV and syphilis, respectively.
Prior to this announcement, Cuba was the only other country to have eliminated mother-to-child transmission based on WHO's criteria.
A milestone in the fight against the disease, Thailand is also the first with a "large HIV epidemic" to eradicate mother-to-child transmission of the disease. In 2014, the country has an estimated 450,000 people living with HIV.
Describing the elimination as a "remarkable achievement," WHO said that Thailand had "demonstrated to the world that HIV can be defeated."
"This is a tremendous achievement - a clear signal that the world is on the way to an AIDS-free generation," said WHO Director-General Margaret Chan.
WHO said that Thailand's routine screening and free medication for pregnant women with HIV was crucial in stopping the virus being passed to new generations.
The disease is passed from mother to child either in the womb or during labor, delivery or breastfeeding, and if untreated, the baby will inhertit HIV from its mother with a 15-45 percent chance. If treatment is given during the crucial stages, in the form of antiretroviral medicine, the chance is reduced to 1 percent.
"To ensure children are born healthy is to give them the best possible start in life. It is immensely encouraging to see countries succeed in eliminating mother-to-child transmission of these two infections," Chan said.
Thailand is one of the first countries in the world that provides free antiretroviral medication to all pregnant women diagnosed with HIV. According to WHO, even in the country's most remote areas, screening for the virus during pregnancy is also routine.
Thai government officials said that the number of babies born with HIV has dropped from 1,000 in 2000 to just 85 last year. This improvement is large enough for WHO to declare mother-to-child transmission over.
The Thai Minister of Health was presented with a certificate of validation in a ceremony in New York. "This is a remarkable achievement for a country where thousands of people live with HIV," said Poonam Khetrapal Singh, WHO regional director for Southeast Asia.
Photo: National Agency for the Control of AIDS - Nigeria
Source: WHO Channel News Asia CNN
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