Goal 6Figures published c. 2005 by the World Bank. The Millennium Development Goals program concluded in 2015; this site is preserved as a historical record.
HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria are among the world’s biggest killers, and all have their greatest impact on poor countries and poor people. All three are communicable diseases, and how each one is transmitted decides what prevention looks like. These diseases interact in ways that make their combined impact worse. Effective prevention and treatment programs will save lives, reduce poverty, and help economies develop. The economic burden of epidemics such as tuberculosis, malaria, and HIV/AIDS on families and communities is enormous. Estimates suggest that tuberculosis costs the average patient three or four months of lost earnings, which can represent up to 30 percent of annual household income; Malaria slows economic growth in Africa by about 1.3 percent a year; and when the prevalence of HIV/AIDS reaches 8 percent the cost in growth is estimated at about 1 percent a year.
Current context: The MDG disease targets focused on infections. The difference between communicable and noncommunicable diseases helps explain the wider scope of SDG 3: target 3.3 addresses infectious diseases, while target 3.4 addresses premature deaths from noncommunicable diseases.
Target 7 Have halted by 2015 and begun to reverse the spread of HIV/AIDS Target 8 Have halted by 2015 and begun to reverse the incidence of malaria and other major diseases Target 7 Have halted by 2015 and begun to reverse the spread of HIV/AIDS
Adult prevalence of HIV map
Reverse the spread of HIV/AIDS In 2003, 36 million adults and 2 million children were living with HIV/AIDS – more than 98 of them in developing countries and 66 percent in Sub-Saharan Africa. There were almost a million new cases in South and East Asia, where more than 7 million people are now living with HIV/AIDS. Prevention programs reach fewer than one in five people who need them. Comprehensive prevention could avert 29 million of the 45 million new infections projected by 2010. Five to six million people need HIV treatment in low- and middle-income countries, yet only 7% — or 400,000 people — had access by end of 2003.
HIV strikes at youth — women are particularly vulnerable
More than half of those newly infected with HIV today are between 15 and 24 years old. With rates of almost 13 percent for males and 6 percent for females, East and Southern Africa is the region of the world hit hardest. East Asia and the Pacific and the Middle East and North Africa have the lowest rates. The education of young people merits the highest priority in a world afflicted by HIV/AIDs, because education is the most effective – and the most cost-effective – means of preventing. Adult prevalence of HIV refers to the percentage of people aged 15-49 who are infected with HIV. Target 8 Have halted by 2015 and begun to reverse the incidence of malaria and other major diseases
Chart on number of children combating malaria with bednets
Malaria is endemic in large parts of the developing world, particularly in tropical and subtropical regions. Because many cases of malaria are not clinically diagnosed or reported to official agencies, it is hard to gauge the full extent of the epidemic. The World Health Organization estimates that 300-500 million cases occur each year, leading to 1.1 million deaths. Almost 90 percent of all cases occur in Sub-Saharan Africa, where children are the most affected and malaria may account for as much as 25 percent of child mortality..
Treated bednets are a proven way to combat malaria, but they are still not widely used
An effective means of preventing new infections is the use of insecticide-treated bed nets. Vietnam, where more than 16 percent of children sleep under treated bed nets, has made significant strides in controlling malaria. But in Africa, only 7 of 27 countries with survey data reported rates of bed net use greater than 5 percent Tuberculosis kills around 2 million people a year, most of them 15-45 years old. The emergence of drug-resistant strains of tuberculosis; the spread of HIV/AIDS, which reduces resistance to tuberculosis; and the growing number of refugees and displaced persons have allowed the disease to spread. Each year there are about 8 million new cases – 2 million in Sub-Saharan Africa, 3 million in Southeast Asia, and more than a quarter million in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. However, using the treatment strategy developed by the World Health Organization – directly observed treatment, short course (DOTS) – that emphasizes positive diagnosis followed by effective course of treatment and follow-up care, cure rates of up to 95 percent, even in poor countries, can be achieved. While some countries have made rapid progress in DOTS detection rates, those with high tuberculosis burdens are not increasing detection rates toward the 70 percent target.
Number of people affected by tuberculosis
With an incidence of tuberculosis of 358 per 100,000 people in 2002, Sub-Saharan Africa has the highest tuberculosis rates. The epidemic is worsening in Europe and Central Asia. The lowest rates are in Latin America and the Caribbean and the Middle East and North Africa .
