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Goal 6: Combat HIV, AIDS, Malaria and other diseases
In Tanzania, a partnership known
as Smartnet has been established to ensure that poor people have access to insecticide treated nets.
Tanzania now produces 90% of Africa’s insecticide treated mosquito nets. Steven and Anna finally have
nets for their children and they help teach others about malaria prevention.
Target: To halt and begin to reverse the spread of HIV and malaria by 2015.
AIDS is now the leading cause of premature death in sub-Saharan Africa and the fourth largest killer worldwide. In the European countries of
the Commonwealth of Independent States and some parts of Asia, HIV and AIDS is spreading rapidly. More than 40 million people live with HIV and AIDS.
14 million children have been orphaned as a result of the disease – 95% of these in developing countries. However, effective programs in
countries like Thailand and Uganda have shown that it is possible to reverse infection rates.
Diseases like malaria and tuberculosis are also killers. Malaria is spread by mosquitoes, while tuberculosis spreads through close contact with infected people.
They are preventable diseases and can be largely controlled through education, preventative measures like mosquito nets (for malaria), and when
illness strikes, appropriate treatment and care. These diseases devastate communities and weaken the economy of many nations by reducing the number
of people who are able to work effectively.
Aid and development organisations like World Vision are helping countries reverse the spread of these diseases by:
- forming education and discussion groups about HIV and AIDS to help remove the stigma and inform communities about ways the virus spreads.
- providing low-cost insecticide-treated bed nets to prevent infected mosquitoes from spreading malaria.
- providing practical care for those suffering from disease and supporting their caregivers and dependent children.
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