The most urgent objectives include the health-related Millennium Development Goals, the 3 by 5 target in HIV/AIDS treatment (to provide 3 million people in developing regions with access to antiretroviral treatment by the end of 2005), and addressing the growing epidemics of non-communicable diseases.
Full Answer
How many people in the developing world received antiretroviral treatment in 2007?
By December 2007, 3 million people in the developing regions had access to antiretroviral drugs; this represents a 47 per cent increase since December 2006. An estimated 200,000 children were receiving treatment in 2007, compared to 75,000 in 2005. However, for every person who started antiretroviral treatment in 2007, three new people were infected with HIV. And 69 per cent of people who needed treatment did not have access to the required drugs.
How many children died from AIDS in 2007?
In 2007, an estimated 15 million children worldwide had lost one or both parents to AIDS; nearly 12 million of them live in sub-Saharan Africa. Many millions more have been orphaned due to other causes. In Burundi and Rwanda, for example, orphanhood is more likely to result from armed conflict than from the HIV epidemic. As of 2007, an estimated 47.5 million children in sub-Saharan Africa had lost one or both parents to AIDS or other causes.
What percentage of people in Africa died from HIV in 2007?
Over one third of new HIV infections and 38 per cent of AIDS deaths in 2007 occurred in Southern Africa. Altogether, sub-Saharan Africa is home to 67 per cent of those living with HIV.
What are the Millennium Development Goals?
The Millennium Development Goals were endorsed by all United Nations Member States at the 2000 Millennium Summit, and provide an ambitious targets for reducing poverty. Health is at the core of the MDGs. Three of the eight Development Goals, eight of the 18 targets, and 18 of the 48 indicators are health related1. (Annex 1). The MDGs do not provide a comprehensive list of health targets (for example, lacking indicators for reproductive health, reduction in non communicable disease, and HIV treatment). However, they are an important milestone in progress towards health for all.
Why are time limited targets important?
Time limited targets are valuable in facilitating coordinated action, mobilising resources, and promoting a sense of urgency. Failure to reach health targets means the economic, social and epidemiological burden of disease continues to exert a profoundly negative influence on communities and countries, and may lead to scepticism and fatalism in policy makers, donors and health workers. Targets tend to be more useful in promoting a change in action if they are challenging but feasible, and not to distant in the future.