A good start in life: possible for babies in Brazil thanks to the right health prevention.Image: imago images
Brazil has achieved a historic success in the fight against HIV: The World Health Organization confirms that mother-to-child transmission has almost stopped in the country. These are the reasons.
December 21, 2025, 12:13 p.mDecember 21, 2025, 12:25 p.m
Melanie Köppel / watson.de
For years, the transmission of HIV from mothers to their children was considered one of the biggest problems in the global fight against the virus.
Now there is good news from South America: The World Health Organization (WHO) has officially confirmed that Brazil has virtually eliminated this form of HIV transmission.
This makes Brazil the most populous country in the world to receive this WHO recognition.
HIV Transmissions: What Elimination Means
The recognition applies to HIV transmission during pregnancy, birth or breastfeeding.
Loud WHO The risk of this in Brazil is now less than two percent. This is the threshold at which the organization considers elimination.
“Eliminating mother-to-child transmission of HIV is a significant public health achievement for any country – especially a country as large and complex as Brazil,” said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
HIV early detection: health system leads to success
Over 95 percent of pregnant women in Brazil participate in preventive care and are routinely tested for HIV. If an infection is detected, treatment begins immediately.
Modern antiretroviral drugs can suppress the virus so much that it is no longer passed on. For mother and child this means: a significantly lower risk and a better health perspective.
SUS: Early testing, quick treatment, strong structures
The public health system Sistema Único de Saúde (SUS) plays a central role in this. In addition to regular contributions from the state government, this is also financed through taxes. It is free for all citizens and undocumented visitors.
HIV testing, medication and prenatal care are available to everyone. For the WHO, this is exactly what is crucial: success should be celebrated not only medically, but also socially and politically, because no one is excluded.
Only a few countries worldwide have received this WHO recognition. The fact that Brazil is now joining us is particularly relevant from the organization’s point of view.
The WHO’s message is therefore clear: HIV prevention works even in countries with major challenges when medical care, political decisions and social protection work together.