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Editorial
. 2021 Mar;40(1):3-5.

The Historic Elimination of Mother-to-Child HIV and Syphilis Transmission in Puerto Rico

Sten H Vermund  1 , Irma Febo  2
Affiliations
Editorial

The Historic Elimination of Mother-to-Child HIV and Syphilis Transmission in Puerto Rico

Sten H Vermund et al. P R Health Sci J. 2021 Mar.

Abstract
in English, Spanish

The elimination of HIV and syphilis from Puerto Rico as per metrics of the World Health Organization has been achieved despite continued HIV risk and high background prevalence. Excellence in antenatal services and screening, deployment of antiretroviral and penicillin syphilis therapies, and proper follow-through with mothers and infants has yielded success even as control of infection overall remains elusive. We highlight the context of this achievement in our editorial to accompany the article: "Elimination of the Perinatal Transmission of HIV and Syphilis in Puerto Rico and Sustained Success since 2007: Convergence of Science, Women-Centered Care, and Policy".

La eliminación del VIH y de la sífilis en Puerto Rico, según las métricas de la Organización Mundial de la Salud, se ha logrado a pesar del riesgo continuo de VIH y de la alta prevalencia de fondo. La excelencia en los servicios prenatales y el cribado, el despliegue de terapias antirretrovirales y de penicilina contra la sífilis, y el seguimiento adecuado de las madres y los bebés han dado sus frutos, aunque el control de la infección en general sigue siendo difícil. Destacamos el contexto de este logro en nuestro editorial que acompaña al artículo: “Eliminación de la transmisión perinatal del VIH y la sífilis en Puerto Rico y éxito sostenido desde 2007: Convergencia de la ciencia, la atención centrada en la mujer y la política”.

Keywords: HIV; Perinatal; Puerto Rico; Syphilis.

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References

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