Goal 6 : Combat HIV/AIDS, Malaria and other Diseases
Guyana records overall steady progress towards this sixth MDG Goal of combating HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases. The country shows signs of beginning to halt the spread of HIV/AIDS and is projected to meet the target of achieving universal access to treatment for HIV/AIDS for all those who need it. There is positive news for malaria control as well, with prevalence rates confirming that the country has succeeded in meeting the target of reducing the incidence of the disease. The prevalence of tuberculosis shows tentative signs of a decline, with reduced incidence over the 2008-2009 reporting period. More specifically:
The prevalence of HIV/AIDS in the population has decreased from 7.1 percent in 1995 to 1.1 percent in 2009, and access to anti-retroviral drugs has more than quadrupled in five years, representing an increase from 18.4 percent in 2004 to 83.5 percent in 2009. Government has been successful in its use of a multi-pronged approach to combating HIV/AIDS. Work has been done to increase knowledge and awareness of the disease, promote and provide testing and the use of preventative measures, as well as to expand and ensure the availability of treatment. Together, these actions have resulted in the decline in HIV/AIDS prevalence and increased survival for those infected. Government will continue to focus on intensifying its activities to raise awareness, to increase prevention, to focus on high-risk groups and to improve treatment. A key priority in addressing all strategies, and particularly treatment, is that of ensuring the sustainability of the current programmes, currently primarily donor-funded.
The prevalence of malaria has decreased from 5,084 per 100,000 persons in 2005 to 1,541 per 100,000 persons in 2008. This improvement can be attributed to successes in prevention efforts as well as in the detection and treatment of contracted cases. The priorities include improving compliance with treatment as well as overcoming the logistical difficulties associated with detection, treatment and monitoring of interventions.
The tuberculosis death rate has reduced from 15.7 per 100,000 persons in 2004 to 11.1 per 100,000 in 2008. The prevalence of tuberculosis increased in Guyana from 38.7 per 100,000 persons in 1995 to 82 per 100,000 persons in 2009. This trend may be partially explained by a genuine increase in transmission but also reflects the success of the country’s programmes in improving detection. The main issues to be addressed in the fight against tuberculosis are co-infection with HIV/ AIDS, patients defaulting on treatment, and the need to improve data collection and analysis.
See below for target(s) and indicators.
Table 1: MDG targets and indicators
| Goal 6 : Combat HIV/AIDS, Malaria and other Diseases |
|
| Targets | Indicators for monitoring progress |
| Target 6.A: Have halted by 2015 and begun to reverse the spread of HIV/AIDS |
6.1 HIV prevalence among population aged 15-24 years 6.2 Condom use at last high-risk sex 6.3 Proportion of population aged |
| Target 6.B: Achieve, by 2010, universal access to treatment for HIV/AIDS for all those who need it |
6.5 Proportion of population with advanced HIV infection with access to |
| Target 6.C: Have halted by 2015 and begun to reverse the incidence of malaria and other major diseases |
6.6 Incidence and death rates associated with malaria 6.7 Proportion of children under 5 sleeping under insecticide-treated bed nets 6.8 Proportion of children under 5 with fever who are treated with appropriate 6.9 Incidence, prevalence and death rates associated with tuberculosis 6.10 Proportion of tuberculosis cases detected and cured under directly observed treatment short course |
