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Goal 6: Combat HIV/Aids, Malaria and other diseases

If you’ve ever been abroad to a country where Malaria is endemic, or you’re preparing to, the chances are you will have been advised to take some malaria tablets with you. For most of you, this will be the first time you come across this disease, which continues to devastate the lives of millions of people around the world. Perhaps the worst part about this is the fact that malaria is preventable and curable, and many deaths caused by the disease could easily be avoided with improved access to healthcare.

Similarly, preventative measures can also help stop the spread of HIV/Aids. A lack of understanding with regards to how the disease is transmitted is a major factor working against those fighting HIV/Aids. In this sense, providing sex education and making sure more people have access to condoms are key to stopping the disease in its tracks. Unfortunately such measures are not currently available to everyone, and HIV/Aids along with Malaria and other diseases such as Tuberculosis, are still rife in many parts of the world. This is why the UN and its partner international development organisations have made the fight against such diseases the focus of its sixth Millennium Development Goal.

There are many initiatives currently working to reverse the spread of diseases like Malaria and HIV/Aids, many of which are making real headway. In Cambodia, for example, where Tuberculosis rates are some of the highest in the world, a national TB care and control programme has led to a 45% drop in those falling ill with the disease. Elsewhere, in Zambia it is estimated that some 400,000 people living with HIV now have access to antiretroviral (ART) therapy thanks to 68 new sites providing drugs and free treatment, bringing the total number of ART sites in the country up to 454. Across the Atlantic, progress is also being made in Latin America to improve the lives of those affected by HIV. The Pan American Health Organisation, for example, is working in countries such as Colombia, Peru and Mexico to improve access to treatment and prevent discrimination against sexual minorities living with the disease.

Already, a UN report on the sixth MDG states that, “In the decade since 2000, 1.1 million deaths from malaria were averted.” Similarly, with regards to HIV/Aids, it adds that, “Worldwide, the number of people newly infected with HIV continues to fall, dropping 33 per cent from 2001 to 2011.”

However, one of the UN’s specific targets, which aimed to achieve universal access to treatment for HIV/Aids by 2010, was not met, and the spread of the likes of Malaria, HIV and TB continue to gravely affect those living in the world’s poorest countries. To quote an example, it is estimated that 80% of all cases of malaria happen in just 14 countries. So much more remains to be done if this sixth MDG is to be achieved before the 2015 deadline.

If you are keen to find out more about the Millennium Development Goals and how Lattitude volunteers are helping to achieve them through the government’s ICS programme, visit us online or get in touch at [email protected].