Havana, Cuba.-Three decades after the first program of prevention against HIV / AIDS, Cuba has achieved a low prevalence of the disease, health authorities stressed today during the World Day of response to this pandemic.

Speaking to the press, Maria Isela Lantero, head of the National Program for the Prevention and Control of STDs/HIV/ AIDS, said that to date 26,048 people have been diagnosed with HIV since the first case was detected in the country and out of these, only 17 percent died.

While making a balance of the main results of the work during the year, the expert highlighted the work of prevention as the main goal, after noting that nowadays, 21,544 people live with this condition.

Hands Up for HIV prevention is the motto of this year’s campaign, focused on what each of us can do for prevention, she stressed.

Men, she said, are the most affected by the epidemic, about 80 percent, and almost 90 percent acquired the disease through sex with a male couple.

We work intensively this risk group and we classify it as the more vulnerable. It is there where we have to achieve a greater impact, she pointed out.

Lantero also added that last year the island was declared the first country to eliminate mother-to-child HIV transmission and congenital syphilis.

Cuba stands out among the countries in the region and the world that have a consolidated inter sectors response to HIV/ AIDS. Cuba is an example to demonstrate the achievements the world needs to control the disease, she declared.

In addition, it was added, the island wants be part of the effort to demonstrate that it is possible to have future generations free of HIV. It is possible to control the epidemic.

However, there are still major challenges, explained Lantero. Looking forward 2020, the goal is to achieve the 90-90-90 objective. This means, that the 90 percent of patients know their serological status, that the same number has access to treatments as well as eliminating the transmission almost in a 100 percent, with a minimal viral load.

To achieve this, it is necessary to keep the research in the population and to get the people to take the test, to increase the perception of risk of the population, to promote condom use and the adherence to treatment with antiretroviral, among the most significant aspects.