"What is going away is the use of just what was called single dose navirapine -- so just the drug that you give the mother and the baby at delivery. And the drugs that we have now are covering the women earlier in pregnancy and all the way through the breastfeeding period. So we can address all the range of transmission that occurs for the children," she said.

But Kiefer said that drugs alone won’t solve the problem. She added more attention must be paid to maternal and child health and improving healthcare systems.

"The resources have to be allocated so that we have the health workers we need -- that they can get the equipment and supplies that they need. The HIV epidemic has been around now for 30 years and we still have major stock-outs of HIV test kits in countries."

The foundation receives much of its funding from PEPFAR, the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. Kiefer said PEPFAR officials warn that funding for next year could be tighter due to the ongoing budget battle in the U.S.

Since 2009, six African countries have led the way in reducing new infections among infants by more than 40 percent. Namibia was at the top of the list with a 60 percent reduction.