500 Days And Counting: Critical Steps In The Countdown To Achieving MDG 6

Abstract

Editor's note: For more on global health, see the September issue of Health Affairs. We are now less than 500 days away from December 31, 2015, the target date for reaching the world’s Millennium Development Goals (MDG). This includes MDG 6, the goal of combatting HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases. Astonishing progress has been made to date (as mentioned previously in our Health Affairs Blog post): AIDS-related deaths have fallen 35 percent since their peak in 2005; global mortality from tuberculosis has fallen by 45 percent since 1990; and global malaria mortality rates dropped 42 percent globally between 2000 and 2012. The key, of course, is maintaining this momentum in order to reach our goal. It’s certainly no small task. But, three immediate steps can and must be taken: Enhance cost efficiencies; Build and strengthen partnerships; and Translate scientific developments into practice.