On Thursday, November 18, Brazil was certified by the World Health Organization (WHO) for the elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV. The certificate was presented by the director of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO/WHO), Jarbas Barbosa, to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Health Minister Alexandre Padilha during a ceremony in Brasília. According to the WHO, the achievement represents a historic milestone.

“Eliminating mother-to-child transmission of HIV is a major public health achievement for any country, especially one as large and complex as Brazil,” said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. “Brazil has shown that, with sustained political commitment and equitable access to quality health services, every country can ensure that every child is born HIV-free and that every mother receives the care she deserves.”

On World AIDS Day (December 1), the Brazilian Ministry of Health also announced that the country has reached its lowest mortality rate from AIDS in recent years. This progress is attributed to expanded testing and the availability of more modern treatments through the Brazilian Unified Health System (SUS). Fiocruz plays an important role in this process, contributing through research, prevention, diagnosis, treatment and the development of public health policies.

The Fernandes Figueira National Institute for Women’s, Children’s and Adolescents’ Health (IFF/Fiocruz) provides specialized care and conducts research that advances the response to HIV. Its services include the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Ward (Dipe), prenatal care for pregnant women living with HIV, the distribution of male and female condoms and the promotion of educational activities.

IFF also conducts studies on topics such as the mother-baby bond during pregnancy and motherhood when living with HIV, treatment abandonment in major Brazilian capitals such as Porto Alegre, Rio de Janeiro and Manaus, experiences with pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) among cisgender and transgender women, the long-term evolution of the HIV/AIDS epidemic and the motor development and contextual factors affecting infants exposed to HIV. These initiatives reinforce Fiocruz’s institutional commitment to prevention, comprehensive care and knowledge production in addressing the challenges posed by HIV.

The Institute of Drug Technology (Farmanguinhos/Fiocruz) supplies ten antiretroviral medicines to the SUS every year. In addition, there are currently six research projects and other internal drug development initiatives focused on new formulations.

Farmanguinhos is a pioneer in the national production of antiretroviral drugs (ARVs), including Zidovudine (AZT), the first medication used to treat HIV. In 1999, the institute began producing AZT for nationwide distribution. It also played a leading role in the compulsory licensing of Efavirenz in 2007, a process that was crucial for reducing costs and enabling universal access to treatment.

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Source: Agência Fiocruz de Notícias (AFN).