Just so that such a significant development does not go unnoticed in the daily news hustle, we congratulate fellow Caribbean nation The Bahamas on becoming the latest regional country to have eliminated mother-to-child transmission of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV).

Last week, the World Health Organization (WHO), together with the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), announced the happy news that The Bahamas had brought to 12 the number of Caribbean territories in that rarified group.

Of course, Jamaica is a proud member of the EMTCT (Elimination of Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV and Syphilis Certification) Club, having achieved that status in 2024, and becoming one of only 20 such countries and territories in the world.

It means that these countries have reduced the mother-to-child HIV transmission rate to under five per cent; achieved over 95 per cent coverage for prenatal care and routine testing, and ensured antiretroviral treatment for pregnant women.

The other regional territories are health powerhouse Cuba, the first; Belize; St Vincent and the Grenadines; Dominica; Anguilla; Antigua and Barbuda; Bermuda; Cayman Islands; Montserrat and St Kitts and Nevis.

The Bahamas achieved this milestone by pioneering a comprehensive and inclusive health-care model, PAHO said. Key to this success has been the provision of universal antenatal care to all pregnant women, regardless of nationality or legal status, across both public and private facilities.

This approach was supported by a strong, integrated laboratory network and a rigorous testing protocol that screens women at their first antenatal appointment and again in the third trimester.

Special commendations belong to PAHO, which works tirelessly to keep the region healthy despite major funding challenges. In 2010, PAHO member states approved its strategy and plan of action for the EMTCT through Resolution CD50.R12.

The resolution called on member states to give priority to the elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV and congenital syphilis and to develop and execute national plans towards this goal.

A key plank in the PAHO strategy and action plan was the implementation of interventions to strengthen the primary prevention and treatment services for HIV and syphilis within the Maternal and Child Health (MCH) services, a process which is ongoing.

In a relatively short period of time, Belize in 2023 and Jamaica 2024, as well as St Vincent and the Grenadines, received certification from WHO as eliminating the mother to child transmission of HIV and syphilis. The Bahamas is just the latest.

WHO Director General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus was effusive in his praise of the Caribbean Community nation, saying that by ensuring that children are born free of HIV, the region was securing a healthier, brighter future for the next generation.

He was joined by PAHO director and WHO regional director for the Americas Dr Jarbas Barbosa who noted that: “As we look ahead, this milestone is not only a moment of national pride but also an opportunity to build on this success, advancing efforts to end HIV and other communicable diseases as public health threats across the Caribbean and the Americas.”

This is indeed a proud moment for a group of small islands that perennially struggle with serious resource gaps.