COPENHAGEN, Feb 27, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Denmark has become the first EU country 
to eliminate the mother-to-child transmission of HIV and syphilis, the World 
Health Organization (WHO) said Friday.

"The elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV and syphilis marks a 
major public health achievement for Denmark," WHO chief Tedros Adhanom 
Ghebreyesus said in a statement.

The international health body said Denmark had met its required targets for 
elimination from 2021 to 2024, "including low transmission rates and high 
coverage of prenatal testing and treatment for pregnant women."

"Elimination means testing and treating at least 95 out of every 100 pregnant 
women --- and keeping new infant infections below 50 per 100 000 births," 
Hans Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe, said.

According to WHO figures, Denmark has low rates of HIV and syphilis among 
pregnant women.

Around 5,950 people are living with HIV in Denmark, and less than 0.1 percent 
of pregnant women are affected.

Congenital syphilis -- meaning syphilis passed from mother to baby -- is also 
uncommon.

In 2024, 626 cases of syphilis were reported overall, most of them, 524, in 
men.

WHO also said that Denmark was on track to eliminate the mother-to-child 
transmission of the hepatitis B virus.