The Bahamas has been certified by the World Health Organization (WHO) as having eliminated mother-to-child transmission of HIV, becoming the latest Caribbean country to achieve the public health milestone.

The certification places The Bahamas among 12 countries and territories in the Americas recognised for meeting strict international standards aimed at preventing babies from being born with HIV.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus described the achievement as the result of years of political commitment and the work of health professionals.

“By ensuring that children are born free of HIV, we are securing a healthier, brighter future for the next generation,” he said.

PAHO Director Dr Jarbas Barbosa said the milestone reflected strong national leadership and sustained investment in public health, while also advancing wider efforts to end HIV and other communicable diseases as public health threats across the region.

The certification follows years of work by The Bahamas to strengthen maternal and child health services, including universal antenatal care for pregnant women regardless of nationality or legal status, routine HIV screening during pregnancy, and free access to treatment and family planning services.

Health officials said the country’s approach also includes monitoring HIV-positive mothers and exposed infants, as well as the use of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) as part of prevention efforts.

Health and Wellness Minister Dr Michael Darville credited healthcare workers across the archipelago for helping to secure the designation.

“A lot of people have been involved in us achieving this great milestone – our nurses in our public health system, our nurses and doctors in our tertiary healthcare system and, by extension, all of the clinics spread throughout our archipelago,” he said.

To qualify for certification, countries must reduce mother-to-child HIV transmission to less than 2 percent, record fewer than five new paediatric HIV infections per 1,000 live births, and maintain at least 95 percent coverage for antenatal care, HIV testing and treatment for pregnant women.

The Bahamas joins countries including Cuba, the first in the world to receive certification, and Brazil, which was certified last year.

UNAIDS Executive Director Winnie Byanyima said the achievement showed eliminating mother-to-child transmission of HIV is possible with sustained investment and access to care.

The certification also forms part of the broader EMTCT Plus Initiative, which seeks to eliminate mother-to-child transmission of HIV, syphilis, hepatitis B and congenital Chagas disease across the Americas by 2030.