Commentary: Antiretroviral treatment for pregnant and breastfeeding women – the shifting paradigm

The global community has called for the elimination of new HIV infections among children by 2015 and keeping their mothers alive [1]. Though viewed by some as overly optimistic and aspirational, this call to action has generated unprecedented momentum and transformed the global dialogue around prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission (PMTCT) to emphasize efficiency, effectiveness and measurable impact of efforts to prevent new pediatric HIV infections. The 2013 WHO guidelines for the use of antiretroviral drugs in pregnant and breastfeeding women also represent a major paradigm shift from previous recommendations for PMTCT in low and middle-income settings (Table 1) [2].