The situation is far different for women and families in poorer parts of the world, however. The vast majority of the million women with HIV who become pregnant each year in the developing world do not have access to all (or, often, any) of these vital services. Only about one-third of them receive even the least effective drug regimen: a single dose of the drug nevirapine for themselves and another for their newborns, a therapy that has been shown to be at best, just over 40 percent effective in preventing vertical transmission. Most have no access to or knowledge.
