Halt and begin to reverse the incidence of malaria and other major diseases
Are we getting any closer to these goals in 2007? Have a look at this table.
The Problem
In the developing world many people die each year because of AIDS, malaria and other major diseases. In some cases we know what to do to prevent these deaths. In other cases, there is no cure for the disease. We want to stop the spread of the diseases and treat the infected.
When one member of a family has one of these diseases, it affects all the other people in the family. Money and time has to be spent to make the person better. It is even worse when the sick person is the one who usually earns the family's income. The family then has no money to live on. And if the parents die, for example from AIDS, then the children are orphans. Sometimes their aunts or uncles can take care of them, sometimes there are orphanages, and sometimes the children have no place to go and must live on the street.
And so these people stay poor.
HIV/AIDS
In 2007, about 30.6 – 36.1 million people had HIV/AIDS. There is no cure for HIV/AIDS. People with HIV/AIDS will die because of AIDS-related diseases. We want to stop the spread of the disease, but every year there are 1.8 – 4.1 million new infections. AIDS is one of the leading causes of death in the world. In Africa it is the primary cause of death.
Many people in developing countries do not know how HIV is spread. People do not talk about HIV/AIDS because it is scary. Other people do not have access to condoms to prevent the spread during sexual intercourse. Scientists are trying to find a vaccine against HIV/AIDS, but it is harder than they thought.
There are drugs that a person with HIV/AIDS can take so that they will live longer and not get so sick. The drugs are very expensive, but now some drugs companies have said they will sell them for very little money. But many people do not know that they have HIV or may not be able to get to a health clinic to get the medicine. Some big companies in Africa give the drugs to their workers because too many of them were dying. Another thing that makes things complicated is that the medicine must be taken every day to work.
Malaria
Every year about a million people die from malaria. Most of these are children. Malaria is spread by one type of mosquito which feeds from the time it starts to get dark until the sun comes up the next day. This mosquito only lives in tropical and some sub-tropical areas of the world. We need to protect people at night by letting them sleep under mosquito nets (bed nets). We can reduce the places where the mosquitoes can lay their eggs. We can spray the inside of houses with chemicals which kill the mosquitoes. When someone has malaria we can give them medicine that usually helps them get better if they get is quickly enough. Travellers to areas that have malaria can take medicine to stop them getting malaria.
But people do not have access to bed nets, chemicals that will kill mosquitoes and medicine to make them better. For many people they are too expensive, and for others it is too hard to get them because there are no health clinics or shops which have them. And sometimes these measures are not used well.
Tuberculosis (TB)
About one third of the world population, so 2 billion (2 000 000 000) people, have the bacteria that causes tuberculosis in their bodies. The bacteria spreads through the air and goes into your lungs. It will make about 7 million people sick every year. About 2.4 million people die from tuberculosis every year. It is the greatest cause of death by infectious disease. Most of the people that get sick from this bacteria live in Africa and Southern Asia.
There is a vaccine against tuberculosis but it does not always work well. It also confuses the results of a test to find out if someone has tuberculosis and needs treatment. Antibiotics can be given when someone has tuberculosis, but they have to be taken every day for 6-9 months to be useful. Otherwise the patient will get sick again and can even spread a stronger form of the disease.
People who have HIV/AIDS have a much higher chance of getting sick from tuberculosis. People who are poor also have a much bigger chance of getting sick.
Diseases in the Developing World
The developed world does not have that many people who suffer from HIV/AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis and other infectious diseases. Many companies are not so interested in finding vaccines or medicine for these diseases. They think they will not earn enough money from them, because the sufferers are from developing countries and are too poor to pay for them. But these people also deserve a healthy life!
Links
The Global Fund to combat AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. AIDS deaths on globalhealthfacts.org. Look at the other data about AIDS also. Nice maps! Malaria deaths on globalhealthfacts.org. Look at the other data about malaria also. Nice maps!
Strange map showing country size according to how many malaria deaths it has.
An Al-Jazeera article about combatting malaria in Ethiopia.
Article about mosquito nets and malaria in Kenya. Tuberculosis article.
The goals
- Halt and begin to reverse the spread of HIV/AIDS
- Halt and begin to reverse the incidence of malaria and other major diseases
Are we getting any closer to these goals in 2007? Have a look at this table.The Problem
In the developing world many people die each year because of AIDS, malaria and other major diseases. In some cases we know what to do to prevent these deaths. In other cases, there is no cure for the disease. We want to stop the spread of the diseases and treat the infected.
When one member of a family has one of these diseases, it affects all the other people in the family. Money and time has to be spent to make the person better. It is even worse when the sick person is the one who usually earns the family's income. The family then has no money to live on. And if the parents die, for example from AIDS, then the children are orphans. Sometimes their aunts or uncles can take care of them, sometimes there are orphanages, and sometimes the children have no place to go and must live on the street.
And so these people stay poor.
HIV/AIDS
In 2007, about 30.6 – 36.1 million people had HIV/AIDS. There is no cure for HIV/AIDS. People with HIV/AIDS will die because of AIDS-related diseases. We want to stop the spread of the disease, but every year there are 1.8 – 4.1 million new infections. AIDS is one of the leading causes of death in the world. In Africa it is the primary cause of death.
Many people in developing countries do not know how HIV is spread. People do not talk about HIV/AIDS because it is scary. Other people do not have access to condoms to prevent the spread during sexual intercourse. Scientists are trying to find a vaccine against HIV/AIDS, but it is harder than they thought.
There are drugs that a person with HIV/AIDS can take so that they will live longer and not get so sick. The drugs are very expensive, but now some drugs companies have said they will sell them for very little money. But many people do not know that they have HIV or may not be able to get to a health clinic to get the medicine. Some big companies in Africa give the drugs to their workers because too many of them were dying. Another thing that makes things complicated is that the medicine must be taken every day to work.
Malaria
Every year about a million people die from malaria. Most of these are children. Malaria is spread by one type of mosquito which feeds from the time it starts to get dark until the sun comes up the next day. This mosquito only lives in tropical and some sub-tropical areas of the world. We need to protect people at night by letting them sleep under mosquito nets (bed nets). We can reduce the places where the mosquitoes can lay their eggs. We can spray the inside of houses with chemicals which kill the mosquitoes. When someone has malaria we can give them medicine that usually helps them get better if they get is quickly enough. Travellers to areas that have malaria can take medicine to stop them getting malaria.
But people do not have access to bed nets, chemicals that will kill mosquitoes and medicine to make them better. For many people they are too expensive, and for others it is too hard to get them because there are no health clinics or shops which have them. And sometimes these measures are not used well.
Tuberculosis (TB)
About one third of the world population, so 2 billion (2 000 000 000) people, have the bacteria that causes tuberculosis in their bodies. The bacteria spreads through the air and goes into your lungs. It will make about 7 million people sick every year. About 2.4 million people die from tuberculosis every year. It is the greatest cause of death by infectious disease. Most of the people that get sick from this bacteria live in Africa and Southern Asia.
There is a vaccine against tuberculosis but it does not always work well. It also confuses the results of a test to find out if someone has tuberculosis and needs treatment. Antibiotics can be given when someone has tuberculosis, but they have to be taken every day for 6-9 months to be useful. Otherwise the patient will get sick again and can even spread a stronger form of the disease.
People who have HIV/AIDS have a much higher chance of getting sick from tuberculosis. People who are poor also have a much bigger chance of getting sick.
Diseases in the Developing World
The developed world does not have that many people who suffer from HIV/AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis and other infectious diseases. Many companies are not so interested in finding vaccines or medicine for these diseases. They think they will not earn enough money from them, because the sufferers are from developing countries and are too poor to pay for them. But these people also deserve a healthy life!Links
The Global Fund to combat AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria.
AIDS deaths on globalhealthfacts.org. Look at the other data about AIDS also. Nice maps!
Malaria deaths on globalhealthfacts.org. Look at the other data about malaria also. Nice maps!
Strange map showing country size according to how many malaria deaths it has.
An Al-Jazeera article about combatting malaria in Ethiopia.
Article about mosquito nets and malaria in Kenya.
Tuberculosis article.
The Millenium Development Goals
1. Poverty2. Education
3. Gender Inequality
4. Child Mortality
5. Maternal Health
6. Combat Disease
7. Sustainability
8. Global Partnership