The Data Report 2008

The health commitments made by the G8 in 2005 were ambitious. The G8 committed to provide universal access to HIV/AIDS treatment, prevention and care; to fully scale up efforts to fight TB; to reach 85% of those in need of malaria prevention and treatment; to fulfill the financing needs to eradicate polio; and to build health systems so as to fulfill basic child and maternal health access. The G8 also committed to meet the financing needs of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. Unfortunately there are no comparable data available to track all of these commitments across donors, and DATA has therefore not been able to establish 'on/off track' assessments for each donor. It has instead evaluated progress using available data, which reveal that on the whole progress has been made in the efforts to fight infectious diseases, but that less progress has been made in building efficient health systems that can address basic child and maternal health needs, amongst other basic needs.

There has been notable progress in the fight against HIV/AIDS, malaria and polio.

• Nearly 2.12 million people were on Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) by December 2007, representing a tremendous increase from the 50,000 on treatment in 2002. In total, this means that 30% of Africans in need of treatment are receiving it (roughly on a par with the global average for developing countries), but this still falls far short of 'universal access', which is defined as reaching 80% of those in need. According to UNAIDS, funding for the fight against HIV/AIDS reached $10 billion in 2007, yet funding needs by 2010 loom large at over $40 billion.
• Progress has also been made in the fight against malaria, with successful bed net distribution campaigns reducing child mortality in high-burden countries. As of November 2007, the Global Fund alone had distributed more than 46 million bed nets to countries in which malaria is endemic. In fact, for the first time in decades, the goal of eradicating malaria in Africa is being discussed again and is spurring increased attention and funding for the disease.
• The goal of eradicating polio is tantalisingly within reach; only 1,300 cases occurred worldwide in 2007, and just 375 of these were in Africa. Ensuring that polio, like smallpox, becomes a disease of the past would represent a huge achievement. The G8 should continue to play their part to ensure that this is achieved.