The partnership will drive the exchange of technical knowledge to accelerate the elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV, syphilis, hepatitis B and Chagas disease, and to advance cervical cancer prevention across the region. Argentina and Paraguay will be the first countries where this cooperation takes shape
On Wednesday, May 27, Fundación Mundo Sano and the Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO) signed a technical cooperation agreement aimed at strengthening regional efforts to eliminate the mother-to-child transmission of disease and to advance cervical cancer prevention across the Americas.
Silvia Gold, President of Mundo Sano, and Jarbas Barbosa, Director of PAHO, signed the agreement at the foundation’s headquarters in Madrid, during the PAHO Director’s visit to Spain, which involved his participation as speaker at Mundo Sano’s Annual Global Health Conference. Marina Gold, Director of the Foundation, also took part in the signing.
The collaboration between the two institutions will focus on generating and sharing the technical knowledge needed to accelerate the elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV, syphilis, hepatitis B and Chagas disease, under the framework of PAHO’s EMTCT Plus initiative. The agreement also sets out a framework for exploring opportunities to strengthen cervical cancer prevention in the region.
A long-term view
“Eliminating the mother-to-child transmission of these diseases is not a utopian dream; it is a political, scientific and human decision,” said Silvia Gold. “This agreement between Mundo Sano and PAHO reaffirms that we are moving in that direction, and that the way forward is to work in partnership, grounded in the best scientific evidence and guided by a long-term view.”
The first phase of cooperation will unfold in Argentina and Paraguay, prioritizing technical exchange, the analysis of national experiences, and the systematic capture of lessons learned around integrated service delivery and disease elimination strategies.
Under the agreement, Mundo Sano will contribute its technical expertise in mother-to-child transmission and support the integration of cervical cancer prevention into relevant health interventions. PAHO, for its part, will create opportunities for technical exchange, share regional and global guidance, and support the analysis and dissemination of what is learned.
“Eliminating the mother-to-child transmission of Chagas, HIV, syphilis and hepatitis B, and advancing cervical cancer prevention, are achievable goals if we can integrate services, strengthen local health teams, and put women and their children at the center. This agreement with PAHO inspires us to scale up what we are already doing on the ground and multiply its impact,” said Marina Gold after the signing. “Argentina and Paraguay will be the starting point, but our ambition is to show that integrating services and cooperating technically can deliver meaningful improvements across the entire region.”