Brazil has been recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO) as the largest country in the world to eliminate mother-to-child transmission of HIV – known as vertical transmission – as a public health problem. The nation’s Health Minister Alexandre Padilha made the announcement on CanalGov Friday (Dec. 15).

According to Minister Padilha, the board of the Joint United Nations Program on HIV and AIDS (UNAIDS), together with representatives from the WHO, will visit Brazil this week to officially present the certification to the Brazilian government.

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“This means that Brazil has managed to eliminate it thanks to [Brazil’s national health care network], the SUS, rapid testing at basic health care units, prenatal testing, and HIV-positive pregnant women taking medication through the SUS,” Minister Padilha stated.

He recalled that, a few decades ago, Brazil had philanthropic initiatives to maintain shelters for orphans with HIV who had lost their parents to AIDS.

“They took in babies who were born with HIV and whose parents had died. Fortunately, we no longer have that in our country, nor do we have HIV transmission from pregnant women to their babies,” he pointed out.

Brazil submitted a dossier to the world organization in July with data from the SUS in Brazil, he went on to note.