Despite the availability of highly active antiretroviral drugs, new infections continue to be reported worldwide. This pandemic impacts African Countries more than any other part of the world, with South Africa taking center stage. Pregnant and breastfeeding women are at increased risk of new HIV infections, with a major impact on perinatal HIV transmission. The elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV includes the prevention of new infections. Pre-exposure prophylaxis is recommended by WHO for the prevention of new HIV infections. Great strides have been made over the past decade, with the availability of novel long-acting products that empower women to take control of their sexual encounters. Pregnant and breastfeeding women have largely been excluded from ground-breaking pre-exposure prophylaxis trials, as a result of ethical concerns. There are limited data on some of the options for the prevention of new infections available to pregnant and breastfeeding women, world-wide. The current global and political environment threatens to derail some of the gains achieved over the past decade. It is imperative that more safety and efficacy data are collected during pregnancy and breastfeeding. This population of women must be considered in on-going and planned trials, as frameworks for safe and ethical inclusion have already been pioneered. There is lack of awareness and poor uptake of pre-exposure prophylaxis, especially among target populations in low- and middle-income countries. Political will and stakeholder engagement is critical in the implementation of HIV preventative strategies, with a major emphasis on awareness.

To be updated soon