The World Health Organization (WHO) has congratulated The Bahamas for achieving a major public health milestone by becoming the latest Caribbean nation certified as having eliminated mother-to-child transmission of HIV. The announcement marks a significant step forward in the country’s long-term efforts to protect maternal and child health and reflects sustained political commitment and strong health system performance.
WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus praised the achievement as the result of years of coordinated national effort and dedication from health workers. He noted that ensuring children are born free of HIV represents a critical investment in the future health and wellbeing of the next generation.
Regional health leadership also highlighted the importance of sustained commitment and strong primary healthcare systems. The Pan American Health Organization emphasized that this milestone reflects effective national leadership and workforce dedication, while also reinforcing the need to continue advancing efforts to eliminate HIV and other communicable diseases across the Caribbean and the wider Americas region.
The Bahamas reached this milestone through a comprehensive and inclusive healthcare approach that ensures universal antenatal care for all pregnant women, regardless of nationality or legal status. The system integrates early and repeated HIV testing during pregnancy, strong laboratory support, and prevention tools such as pre-exposure prophylaxis. Care for HIV-positive mothers and exposed infants is closely monitored, with free access to treatment, antiretroviral medicines, and reproductive health services to ensure continuity of care.
Health authorities in The Bahamas credited the achievement to the combined efforts of public health workers, hospitals, clinics, and national programmes working across the country’s island network. This coordinated system has strengthened prevention, testing, and treatment services throughout the maternal health pathway.
The country now joins a small group of nations globally that have eliminated mother-to-child transmission of HIV, meeting strict WHO criteria that include extremely low transmission rates, minimal pediatric infections, and high coverage of antenatal care, testing, and treatment services. These standards ensure sustained control of HIV transmission from mothers to infants.
Global health partners, including UNICEF and UNAIDS, described the achievement as part of a broader regional leadership trend, noting that Latin America and the Caribbean have been at the forefront of eliminating vertical transmission. They highlighted that political commitment, early diagnosis, timely treatment, and strong primary healthcare systems are key drivers of success.
The Bahamas’ achievement is also part of the wider EMTCT Plus Initiative, which targets the elimination of multiple mother-to-child transmitted infections, including HIV, syphilis, hepatitis B, and Chagas disease. Supported by PAHO, UNICEF, and UNAIDS, this initiative contributes to a regional goal of eliminating more than 30 communicable diseases by 2030, reinforcing the Americas’ leadership in public health progress.
