UN Millennium Development Goal 6 HIV/AIDS, malaria, other diseases

An Introduction to MGD6 MGD6 includes three sub-targets: Have halted by 2015 and begun to reverse the spread of HIV/AIDS Achieve, by 2010, universal access to treatment for HIV/AIDS for all those who need it Have halted by 2015 and begun to reverse the incidence of malaria and other major diseases

Regional Focus: West Africa Nigeria most affected with HIV/AIDS - 3.1% (3.4 million) 10-32% of new infections occur through sex work Females (20-34), males (25-49), men who have sex with men, high-risk drinkers, people who use drugs, and people with disabilities are the most at-risk for HIV transmission

Malaria and other diseases Malaria mainly affects pregnant women and children Other common disease indigenous to West Africa include yellow fever, typhoid fever, hepatitis A and B, and cholera Ebola mainly affects health workers, family members of infected individuals, and mourners who have direct contact with body during burial rituals by the end of the epidemic, mortality rate stood around 50%

Causes Behind MDG6 Poverty, and religious and cultural factors are the main causes for high rates of HIV/AIDS, Malaria, and other diseases Poverty leads many into sex work, the inability to purchase insect nets, and less education on the risks and transmission of the diseases In more religious areas the use of condoms is frowned upon, and some commercials for the promotion of safe-sex have been banned Culturally, the stigma against these diseases hinders many from being tested and the practice of female genital mutilation has led to more cases of HIV/AIDS

Addressing MDG 6

Effective Education  Malaria Research/Treatment Funding: Ten times that available in 2000  Global HIV/AIDS Fund  ing: From 4.2 billion USD in 2003 to 21.7 billion USD in 2014  Increase in Funding Greater distribution of supplies However, Limited impact on meeting health target Without Consistent Education, “Significant behavioral change to sustain the decline [of disease]” = Unlikely Example of Successful Implementation: Malaria-Free Bolivia Reached UN targets within 5 years Total elimination by 2020

Public Infrastructure ❖ West African Infrastructure: Exceedingly sparse ❖ Infrastructure Role: ➢ Provides information ➢ Basic treatment “The health MDGs can only be achieved if both health systems strengthening and disease-specific responses are equally addressed.”