Botswana Becomes 1st African Nation to Achieve WHO Gold Tier Status for Ending HIV Transmission.
International
In May 2025, Botswana achieved a major global health milestone by becoming the first African country and one of the highest HIV-burdened nations in the world to be recognized with the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Gold Tier certification for eliminating mother-to-child transmission of HIV.
- This recognition was granted under WHO’s Triple Elimination Initiative, implemented in partnership with UNAIDS (United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS), UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund), and national health authorities. It focuses on integrated maternal and child health to eliminate HIV, syphilis, and hepatitis B transmission.
- Botswana had previously become the first country in the world to qualify for WHO’s Silver Tier certification in 2021. Its consistent progress in reducing vertical HIV transmission has now placed it in the top category of global HIV control.
Main Point :- (i) According to WHO, Botswana met all stringent benchmarks required for Gold Tier status—such as reducing new pediatric HIV infections below 50 per 100,000 live births, and bringing overall HIV transmission rates to less than 5% among HIV-positive mothers.
(ii) As per the UNAIDS Spectrum Report 2024, Botswana has around 360,000 people living with HIV. However, nearly 98% of HIV-positive pregnant women in the country now receive effective antiretroviral treatment, reducing child transmission to just 1.2%, and fewer than 100 infants were born with HIV in 2023.
(iii) Globally, Cuba was the first country to achieve WHO’s HIV and syphilis elimination certification in 2015. As of 2025, 16 countries and territories have been awarded certification for eliminating mother-to-child transmission of HIV, with 11 of them in the Caribbean region.
About Botswana
President: Mokgweetsi Masisi
Capital: Gaborone
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