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In a landmark achievement for Caribbean public health, the World Health Organization (WHO) congratulates The Bahamas for becoming the latest Caribbean nation to be certified as having eliminated the mother-to-child transmission of HIV.

“I congratulate The Bahamas on this outstanding achievement, which solidifies years of political commitment, and the dedication of health workers,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “By ensuring that children are born free of HIV, we are securing a healthier, brighter future for the next generation.”

“This achievement reflects sustained political commitment and strong national leadership, alongside the dedication and compassion of the health workforce,” said Dr Jarbas Barbosa, Director of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and WHO Regional Director for the Americas. “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.”

Foundations of success

The Bahamas achieved this milestone by pioneering a comprehensive and inclusive health-care model. 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 is 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.

Elimination of mother-to-child transmission (EMTCT) interventions in The Bahamas are fully integrated into antenatal care standards and norms and implemented under the Maternal and Child Health (MCH) programme. MCH coordinates with the National Infectious Disease Programme, which oversees the prevention and treatment of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STI). This includes the introduction of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV prevention, also offered to pregnant women. To ensure continuity of care, the health system maintains adequate monitoring for HIV-positive mothers and exposed infants, provides multi-month dispensing of antiretroviral medicines, and offers STI treatment and family planning services free of charge.

“For years, The Bahamas have been working very hard to address the situation of HIV/AIDS,” said Dr Michael Darville, Minister of Health and Wellness of The Bahamas. “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 health-care system and, by extension, all of the clinics spread throughout our archipelago.”

From Cuba, the first country in the world to be certified, and Brazil – certified last year, The Bahamas now joins a prestigious group of 12 countries and territories in the Region of the Americas at the forefront of the EMTCT movement. The Bahamas will continue efforts to sustain these standards through integrated primary care and continuous surveillance.

The road to elimination

To receive WHO certification, countries must prove they have sustained the following:

• reducing the mother-to-child transmission rate of HIV to less than 2%;
• achieving fewer than 5 new pediatric HIV infections per 1000 live births; and
• maintaining 95% or higher coverage for antenatal care, HIV testing, and treatment for pregnant women.

“Latin America and the Caribbean has long been a beacon of progress in this global effort. From Cuba – the first country in the world to be certified – to Brazil’s certification last year, and now to The Bahamas, the region continues to lead with ambition and determination. Today, more than half of all countries and territories that have achieved elimination are from this region. This is a legacy of leadership that inspires the world,” said Anurita Bains, Global Associate Director for HIV/AIDS at UNICEF.

“The Bahamas are showing that eliminating mother-to-child transmission HIV and other sexually transmitted infections is possible,” said Winnie Byanyima, UNAIDS Executive Director. “This achievement reflects political will for steady investment in primary health care and the work of health teams and people living with and most affected by HIV. When women can test early in pregnancy, start treatment quickly, and stay in care, every child has a better chance of being born free of HIV and other STIs.”

The Bahamas’ success is part of the broader EMTCT Plus Initiative, which aims to eliminate mother-to-child transmission of HIV, syphilis, hepatitis B, and congenital Chagas disease. Implemented in collaboration with UNICEF and UNAIDS, the initiative is embedded within PAHO’s Elimination Initiative, a regional effort to eliminate more than 30 communicable diseases and related conditions in the Americas by 2030.

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Three years of war in Sudan have created the world’s largest humanitarian and displacement crisis, with devastating consequences for people’s health.

While the situation is improving in some states, the health crisis is deepening in areas where fighting continues. Disease outbreaks and malnutrition are rising, while access to health services shrink, and funding falls short.

Nearly 34 million people need humanitarian assistance, including 21 million in need of health assistance.  Over 4 million people are estimated to be acutely malnourished in 2026 (IPC Alert, 5 February 2026) making them vulnerable to medical complications and disease.

Disease outbreaks are widespread, with malaria, dengue, measles, polio (cVDPV2), hepatitis E, meningitis, and diphtheria reported from several states, including Al Jazirah, Darfur, Gedaref, Khartoum, Kordofan, River Nile, and White Nile states.

Across Sudan’s 18 states, 37% of health facilities remain non-functional. Health facilities, ambulances, patients and health workers have been repeatedly attacked, further reducing access to health care, particularly in conflict-affected areas where hospitals are only partially functioning or have closed due to the destruction of facilities and equipment. WHO has verified 217 attacks on health care, since 15 April 2023, with 2052 deaths and 810 injuries.

“The war in Sudan is devastating lives and denying people their most basic rights, including health, water, food and safety. The health system has been crippled, leaving millions without essential health care,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “Doctors and health workers can save lives, but they must have safe places to work and the medicines and supplies they need. Ultimately, the best medicine is peace.”

In the Greater Darfur and Kordofan regions, fighting has forced people from their homes and severely restricted the movement of humanitarian supplies. An example of this is the recent attack on El Daein Teaching Hospital in East Darfur, which has further compounded the crisis, resulting in at least 64 deaths, including children and health workers, and rendering the hospital non-functional. The hospital served as a critical referral hospital for hundreds of thousands of people across East Darfur.

“Three years in conflict have turned Sudan into the world’s largest ongoing health crisis, where disease is spreading, malnutrition is rising, and access to health care is rapidly declining,” said WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean Dr Hanan Balkhy. “With millions lacking basic medical care, facing hunger, and at risk of disease, Sudan’s health crisis continues to deepen, emphasizing the urgent need for humanitarian support and long-term solutions. We remain committed to the people of Sudan.”

With services suspended, patients in urgent need of care are forced to undertake long and dangerous journeys to reach the nearest functioning health facilities. Repeated attacks on health care in the Kordofans have also destroyed health facilities, and have had a similar human toll, with injuries and deaths of patients, including children.

“WHO has been on the ground since the start of the conflict, with supplies, disease surveillance, training and coordination,” said Dr Shible Sahbani, WHO Representative to Sudan. “As access to some areas opens up, we are stepping up efforts to support early recovery and rehabilitation of the health system alongside the humanitarian response.” 

WHO is supporting the supply chain for essential medicines, medical supplies and equipment, strengthening the health workforce and has helped restore key public health services, including state and national reference laboratories.  Since April 2023, WHO has delivered over 3300 metric tons of medicines and medical supplies, including supplies for cholera, malaria, nutrition, and trauma care.

WHO-supported services have helped provide essential health care to more than 4.1 million people through primary health care centres, mobile clinics and hospitals. WHO also supported the treatment of over 118 000 children with complicated severe acute malnutrition, and vaccination campaigns, reaching more than 46 million children and adults with cholera, polio, diphtheria, measles and rubella vaccines.  Malaria vaccines were also introduced; Sudan being the first country in the region to include malaria vaccines in the routine immunization programme.

WHO worked closely with the Federal and State Ministries of Health and partners to contain two cholera outbreaks. The most recent one was declared over in March 2026, following a sustained response lasting more than a year, including oral cholera vaccination campaigns reaching 24.5 million people.

WHO acknowledges the financial support of donors and development partners, whose generosity has ensured the provision of medical supplies, equipment, operational support and technical assistance.

WHO reiterates its commitment to the health of everyone, everywhere in Sudan. To ensure this, WHO calls for unrestricted and safe access to all areas of Sudan, for the protection of health care, and for sustained humanitarian and long-term funding. 

Peace is long overdue for Sudan. Without peace, health cannot be attained.

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