Costa Rica is about to score another point in the comprehensive care of patients carrying the HIV (HIV), since it will soon be declared as a country free from vertical transmission of HIV (transmission from mother to fetus).
The Costa Rican Social Security Fund (CCSS) and the Ministry of Health are negotiating with the World Health Organizations (WHO) and Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) to receive the certification declaring Costa Rica as a country free of this type of infection.
According to the United Nations Fund for Children (UNICEF), between 2010 and 2013, 35 children were born from HIV-positive mothers and only 1 of them (2,9%) carried the virus. However, WHO standards establish that for a country to be declared as free from the vertical spread, this number must be less than 2%
Dr. Gloria Terwses, coordinator of care for the patient with HIV from the CCCS, said that in Costa Rica there is a very rigid protocol to prevent this type of infection.