WHO VALIDATES ELIMINATION OF MOTHER-TO-CHILD TRANSMISSION OF HIV AND SYPHILIS IN CUBA

30 JUNE 2015 ¦ GENEVA ¦ WASHINGTON - Cuba today became the first country in the world to receive validation from WHO that it has eliminated mother-to-child transmission of HIV and syphilis.

“Accurate and timely health data are the foundation to improving public health. Without reliable information to set priorities and measure results, countries and their development partners are working in the dark,” said Margaret Chan, Director-General of WHO. “Investing in measurement is an investment in health and countries that build and strengthen local capacity are better positioned to achieve greater long-term success and better health outcomes.

Dozens of global health leaders from governments, multilaterals, academia, research institutions and civil society will endorse The Roadmap for Health Measurement and Accountability and a 5-Point Call to Action, which outline a shared strategic approach and priority actions and targets that countries and development partners can use to put effective health monitoring plans in place to strengthen health information systems.

“If we are going to ensure that people everywhere have access to quality health care, and that no one is impoverished paying for the health care they need, we need to invest in high-quality, timely, and accurate data and statistics so that countries can measure and monitor their progress,” said Jim Yong Kim, President of the World Bank Group. “Today’s investments in country health information systems will lead to a better tomorrow for billions of people.”

Supporting countries to achieve their health-related Sustainable Development Goals over the next 15 years and aligning partner and donors around common priorities are at the center of the Roadmap and 5-Point Call to Action.

“With the end of the Millennium Development Goals and advent of the Sustainable Development Goals, we are at a key moment to shape the future of international development—and that includes improving health,” said Alfonso Lenhardt, Acting Administrator of USAID. “Countries need to build and further strengthen their capacity in health so they can meet the growing demands for reliable and timely data required for effective measurement of health programs.”

The Roadmap outlines smart investments and proposes concrete actions and targets that countries can adopt to build local capacities, including strengthening basic measurement systems essential to successfully planning, managing and measuring their health programs. The 5-Point Call to Action provides concrete targets for increasing investments, strengthening institutional capacity, using data more effectively, sharing and standardizing data openly, and promoting accountability and transparency.

Panelists at the summit will represent a broad array of high-level global health leaders, country representatives and development partners, and will discuss issues related to building country capacity and demand for health data, including topics such as data revolution and the importance of country and global accountability.

Available from: http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/2015/mtct-hiv-cuba/en/