UNAIDS congratulates the Turks and Caicos Islands on certification from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) for eliminating both mother-to-child transmission of HIV and hepatitis B.
To receive the certification, countries must meet strict criteria, including reducing the mother-to-child transmission rate of HIV to below 2%, maintaining fewer than 50 new paediatric infections per 100,000 live births, and achieving at least 95% coverage for antenatal care, testing and treatment among pregnant women.
Across the Caribbean, countries and territories have worked towards the global targets of eliminating mother-to-child transmission of HIV. WHO and PAHO first certified Cuba in 2015 for dual elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV and syphilis. In 2017, certifications followed for Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Bermuda, the Cayman Islands, Montserrat and Saint Kitts and Nevis.
More recently, Belize, Dominica, Jamaica and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines have also been certified. The Bahamas received its certification in April 2026. The Turks and Caicos Islands now become the thirteenth Caribbean country or territory to reach this milestone and the latest proof that the region continues to lead the world on this agenda.
"The Turks and Caicos Islands have just written their name into a growing list of Caribbean jurisdictions that are showing the world what determined, rights-based public health action looks like," said the Executive Director of UNAIDS, Winnie Byanyima. "As we head into the High-Level Meeting on HIV/AIDS in New York, this is the message the world needs to hear: elimination is not a distant ambition it is achievable, one birth at a time."
In 2010, countries of the Americas committed to eliminating mother-to-child transmission of HIV and syphilis. They endorsed a regional strategy that was later updated through PAHO's Plan of Action for the Prevention and Control of HIV and Sexually Transmitted Infections. To reach elimination targets, countries have strengthened HIV prevention and treatment within primary health care and maternal and child health services through wider screening during pregnancy, better follow-up for babies exposed to HIV and faster access to medicines and care.
The Turks and Caicos Islands' certification is part of the broader Elimination of Mother-to-Child transmission of HIV Plus Initiative, which focuses on the elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV, syphilis, hepatitis B and congenital Chagas disease. The initiative is implemented in collaboration with UNICEF and UNAIDS and 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.
The Caribbean has reduced new HIV infections among children by 34% from 2010 to 2024. Of the 23 certifications of mother-to-child transmission of HIV completed globally to date, 57% are from the Caribbean-a record that reflects decades of political commitment, technical and community leadership and investment in integrated health services grounded in human rights and gender equality.
UNAIDS encourages the Government of the Turks and Caicos Islands to protect and build on this achievement, through continued investment in maternal and child health services, reliable access to medicines and diagnostics, action to tackle stigma and discrimination, and support for community-led responses that keep women and families connected to care.
UNAIDS
The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) leads and inspires the world to achieve its shared vision of zero new HIV infections, zero discrimination and zero AIDS-related deaths. UNAIDS unites the efforts of 11 UN organizations-UNHCR, UNICEF, WFP, UNDP, UNFPA, UNODC, UN Women, ILO, UNESCO, WHO and the World Bank-and works closely with global and national partners towards ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030 as part of the Sustainable Development Goals. Learn more at unaids.org
