( CNN ) -- The case of the first toddler ever to be `` functionally cured '' of HIV could have wide-ranging effects on the global fight to end the AIDS epidemic . `` If we can replicate this in other infants ... this has huge implications for the burden of infection that 's occurring globally , '' said Dr. Deborah Persaud , a pediatrician at the Johns Hopkins Children 's Center . Persaud is the lead author of a report on the toddler 's case that was presented at the 2013 Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections in Atlanta on Monday . `` For the unfortunate ones who do get infected , if this can be replicated , this would offer real hope of clearing the virus . '' Some 1,000 infants are born with HIV every day , according to the latest estimates from the UNAIDS Global Report . That means some 330,000 children are living with the deadly virus . The majority of these infections are in the developing world . The most common way children get HIV is through perinatal transmission -- HIV transmission from an infected mother to a child while she is pregnant , giving birth or when she breast-feeds the child . The number of infant infections in the United States has gone down some 90 % since the mid-'90s , according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ; that 's in large part because pregnant women are routinely tested . When a mother is identified as being HIV positive , her doctor is then able to administer preventive interventions that will , in most cases , keep the virus in check . In developing countries , infants born to mothers with HIV are not so lucky . There , mothers are less likely to be treated with antiretroviral drugs that would prevent transmission during pregnancy . In North Africa and the Middle East , for instance , 3 % of pregnant women with HIV received antiretroviral medications , according to the U.N. report . Some 23 % in West and Central Africa did . Testing is also less sophisticated in these areas . The unidentified Mississippi woman in this case had no prenatal care and was not diagnosed as HIV positive until just before she delivered the baby . That 's why Dr. Hannah Gay , an associate professor of pediatrics at the University of Mississippi Medical Center , administered the drugs within 30 hours after the baby was born . Typically , a baby born to a woman with HIV would be given two drugs as a prophylactic measure . Gay said her standard is to use a three-drug regimen to treat an infection . She did this on the Mississippi infant without waiting for test results to confirm the baby was infected with HIV . Gay thinks the timing may be key , that the timing may deserve `` more emphasis than the particular drugs or number of drugs used . Timeline : AIDS moments to remember . `` We are hoping that future studies will show that very early institution of effective therapy will result in this same outcome consistently , '' she said . Doctors will try to replicate the success of her case and see if aggressive treatment right after birth can `` cure , '' or if this is an anomaly . `` We are enthusiastic about the potential of this case , but it is one case and it needs to be replicated and confirmed through future studies and clinical trials , '' said Dr. Meg Doherty , the World Health Organization 's Department of HIV/AIDS coordinator of treatment and care . `` We will not be changing any of our current guidance in this case , but we will continue to watch for new information and provide updates to our prevention of mother to child transmission ( PMTCT ) and early infant diagnosis guidance as necessary . '' Antiretroviral medications are pricey for people in the developing world , but treating a child for a year or two with these drugs would be a lot cheaper than paying for a lifetime of treatment after infection . Why youths are n't getting tested for HIV . Persaud is optimistic . If the result of this case can be repeated , she believes this discovery could make a huge difference internationally . `` In resource-limited settings , this kind of treatment would not be a stretch . We know how to do this and we have the infrastructure in place to deliver this kind of care . '' Check out more news on CNN.com .
How quickly drugs were administered in this case may have made a difference . Mother - child transmission rates are down 90 % in the United States since the mid-'90s . Some 800 infants are born with HIV every year , according to the United Nations .