Goal Six

Combat HIV/AIDS, Malaria and Other Diseases

     Joshua Smith

Introduction

            Goal 6 of the United Nation’s Millennium Development Goals focuses on disease control and prevention of  infectious diseases. It specifically points out three diseases in the framework of this Goal: HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria.  HIV/AIDS has been the main target of this Goal due to its vast impact on developing countries, especially in Southern Africa, and its linkage to the success of other Millennium Development Goals.

            The targets of Goal 6 are:

•   Target 6A: Have halted by 2015 and begun to reverse the spread of HIV/AIDS

•   Target 6B: Achieve, by 2010, universal access to treatment HIV/AIDS for all who need it

•   Target 6C: Have halted by 2015 and begun to reverse the incidence of malaria and other major diseases

            Infectious diseases often carry stigma, and the stigma of HIV is particularly problematic. Another way in which the response to HIV/AIDS has been exceptional is the successful push for increased antiretroviral treatment to address it. . Though far from complete strong efforts have been made by governmental bodies, NGOs (Non-Governmental Organizations), international institutions, and parts of the private sector – most prodded initially by a transnational activist movement -- to alleviate these issues. A wide variety of efforts from all of these places have been substantially effective in combating HIV/AIDS, Malaria, Tuberculosis, and other infectious diseases

Historical Development:

            Meetings discussing this issue have been running for many years in hopes of finding a solution for this pandemic. There have been International AIDS Conferences held every two years since 1985. One of the most important of these was the 13th International AIDS Conference held in Durban, South Africa in 2000. The theme of this conference was “Breaking the Silence” which focused on “the urgent need to break the silence on equal access to treatment and care; governmental and private sector support of HIV education and resources; human rights; access to appropriate and meaningful information to all sectors and ensuring a supportive environment for people living with HIV/AIDS in society” (The Body 2000).Another high point of the conference was the first call by Jeffrey D. Sachs, then Chairman of the WHO Commission on Macroeconomics and Health, for the Global Fund to be created. The Global Fund is a international fund of money used to help finance combating HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria. Developed countries all over the world contribute to the Global Fund which is then used to help developing countries dealing with health issues surrounding these infectious diseases. The idea of the Global Fund came out of Durban 2000 and was then established the following year.

                        Another helpful tool for combating HIV/AIDS came from the United States in 2003 in the form of PEPFAR, which stands for the President’s Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief. This was created by George W. Bush in his second term as President of the United States of America  and is widely thought of as one of his best accomplishments as president. PEPFAR was a commitment of $15 billion by the United States for HIV/AIDS treatment to be used to combat this pandemic around the world. This is the largest commitment by any one nation to combat a disease internationally.

Current Status

            Progress on this Goal has been made over the years, but the problem has far from been solved. “The incidence of HIV is declining steadily in most regions; still, 2.5 million people are newly infected each year” (UNDP 2013). This is most apparent in Southern Africa with an estimated number of new HIV infections per year per 100 people in the age group of 15-49 being 1.02 as of 2011. This is an improvement to 2001 where the rate was at 1.91 per 100 people in this age group. This is an important age group to analyze because people between the ages of 15-49 are most receptacle to HIV as a result of life circumstances. The numbers from 2001, around the origination of the Millennium Development Goals, in comparison to now have made a fairly good improvement. Although, this is a very minor difference when looking at a more broad picture of the issue. The incidence rate has declined slightly or stayed the same in most regions, with exceptions in North Africa and Central Asia where incidence rate has actually increased slightly. The target to have universal access of antiretroviral treatment for all who need it by 2010 was not reached, but could be reached if efforts are continued in the push for universal access to treatment. The proportion of people in each region with HIV on antiretroviral treatment is broken down between 2009, 2010, and 2011 in this graph provided by the UNDP MDG 2013 Report:

good improvement. Although, this is a very minor difference when looking at a more broad picture of the issue. As you can see the incidence rate has declined slightly or stayed the same in most regions, with exceptions in North Africa and Central Asia where incidence rate has actually increased slightly. The target to have universal access of antiretroviral treatment for all who need it by 2010 was not reached, but could be reached if efforts are continued in the push for universal access to treatment.

What If the United States Were an MDG Country?

            The United States has been moving towards more adequate health policies in these areas over the past 15 years, but has not made any tremendous improvements. The United States has slowed down the spread of HIV/AIDS within its borders, but has not reversed or halted it. Although, it is widely under more control within the United States borders as compared to other regions of the world. Secondly, the United States has not achieved universal access to treatment for HIV/AIDS. This is something current activists are pushing for and can be reached in the foreseeable future. Finally, the United States has halted and reversed the contraction of malaria. Although, Tuberculosis is becoming more and more prevalent within HIV/AIDS infected individuals. Communities with high risk rate have been seen to be developing Tuberculosis more commonly once infected with HIV. Activists within the United States have attempted to combat this through multiple programs, including needle exchange programs. Needle exchange programs consist of activists that go out into communities where there are high-risk behaviors, use of intravenous drugs, and give out clean needles in exchange for dirty ones. This has proven to be an efficient method of HIV/AIDS prevention, but is highly debated due to its “promotion” of drugs use. The United States has made progress in Goal 6, but still has quite a ways to go in regards to achieving all of the targets.

Where Do We Go From Here?

            This target is an extremely important one that must be met in order for the first target to be met. In order to stop the spread of HIV/AIDS access to treatment must be universal. This is something that has been steadily improving through activism efforts putting pressure on governments to help make generic drugs more widely available. This would cut down the price on treatment greatly and allow for people living with HIV/AIDS (PWAs) to be able to purchase antiretroviral drugs. This is just one of the things that we can change in order to alleviate the HIV/AIDS pandemic, along with other global health issues.

            Based on the data provided, globally we will not be able to achieve Goal 6 of the Millennium Development Goals by 2015, butthis does not mean we should stop trying. Altering the way people view HIV/AIDS and other diseases is needed in order to eliminate them from our world. In order to this, we must educate populations on the facts of these diseases and eliminate the established myths surrounding them. Also, we must work towards making treatments universally accessible by all people no matter their economic status or geographical location. Although we may not be able to reach these Goals by 2015, we can reach these goals in our lifetime. By doing this we can make the world a better and much healthier place.