Benin leader calls for cooperation across medical systems

WHO verified that Ecuador had eliminated transmission of human onchocerciasis.

Repeated ivermectin distribution and surveillance supported elimination.

Ecuador became the second country verified free of river blindness after Colombia.

The announcement recognized interrupted transmission, with monitoring still relevant.

WHO reports President Boni Yayi addressing the regional committee on this date during a debate on stronger health systems.

The 2014 regional health meeting considered inherited care within a broader call to strengthen systems facing epidemics.

The Benin president connected traditional and conventional care with partnerships among countries of the Global South.

Cuba became the first country validated for eliminating mother-to-child HIV and syphilis transmission as public-health problems.

Testing and treatment during pregnancy formed part of the services WHO assessed.

The validation recognized work to prevent both infections passing from mother to child.