In the field of human development, the year that just ended was better than many predicted it would be.
A decade after the Great Recession began, economic recovery continued last year and progress was made on issues such as poverty, education and global warming, but perhaps the most significant achievements of the past 12 months were in global health.
I count 18 unique successes last year, many of which will help sow the seeds of progress for the months and years ahead.
The first notable success occurred early in the year, when a Guinness World Record was set for the most donations of medication made during a 24-hour period.
On Jan. 30, more than 207 million drug doses were donated to treat neglected tropical diseases, including guinea-worm disease, leprosy and trachoma.
This extraordinary feat was made possible by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and by pharmaceutical firms, including Bayer, Novartis, Pfizer and my company, Sanofi Pasteur.
India’s elimination of active trachoma was another milestone, as it marked an important turning point in the global fight against a leading infectious cause of blindness.
Trachoma was also eradicated in Oman, Morocco and Mexico.
A third key health trend was further progress toward the elimination of human onchocerciasis, which causes blindness, impaired vision and skin infections.
Fourth on my list is a dramatic drop in the number of guinea-worm disease infections.
A mere 26 cases were recorded worldwide last year, down from 3.5 million cases in 1986.
Efforts to eradicate leprosy earned the fifth spot on my list, while vaccine advances in general were sixth.
Highlights included a new typhoid vaccine, shown to improve protection for infants and young children, and a new shingles vaccine.
Seven was the dramatic progress made in eliminating measles.
Four nations — Bhutan, the Maldives, New Zealand and the UK — were all declared measles-free last year.
The war on Zika is eighth on my list of health achievements last year.
Thanks to coordinated global efforts, most people in Latin America and the Caribbean are now immune to the mosquito-borne virus and experts believe transmission will continue to slow.
Ninth is polio eradication.
Fewer than 20 new cases were reported globally, a 99 percent reduction since 1988.
Although the year ended with reports of cases in Pakistan, health experts remain optimistic that polio can be fully eradicated this year.
Rounding out my top 10 was the creation of the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), which was established to develop vaccines for infectious disease threats.
Launched with nearly US$600 million in funding from Germany, Japan, Norway, the UK charity Wellcome Trust,and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, CEPI aims to reduce sharply the time it takes to develop and produce vaccines.
Huge gains in disease control and prevention were made last year, and the next few items on my list reflect progress on specific illnesses.
For example, rates of premature death fell for non-communicable diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes and chronic respiratory conditions.
Another highlight was the historic approval of a sophisticated cancer treatment — CAR T-cell therapy, which uses a patient’s own immune cells to attack tumors.
Improvements were also made in treating HIV.
Clinical trials for an HIV vaccine started at the end of last year, while doctors in South Africa reported curing a young boy of the disease after he received treatment as an infant. These and other initiatives give new hope to the many who are still suffering from this chronic condition.
Advances in treating gonorrhea, a common sexually transmitted infection that has become increasingly resistant to antibiotics, are also worthy of mention.
Wrapping up my list of disease-specific gains last year is the renewed commitment made by global health ministers to eradicate tuberculosis by 2030.
The final two successes are reminders of how much work remains.
In August last year, fast-food giant McDonald’s unveiled a Global Vision for Antimicrobial Stewardship in Food Animals.
Although recognition of the food industry’s ethical responsibilities for public health is to be welcomed, the pledge also represents a cautionary note about how closely connected food and health really are.
Finally, rounding out my list was the historic Universal Health Coverage Forum held in Tokyo, where global leaders gathered to discuss how to improve healthcare access.
The World Bank and the WHO say that half of the world’s population still cannot obtain essential health services. I therefore count last month’s meeting as a “success” not for its achievements, but because it was a reminder to the international community that improving healthcare access remains a long-term endeavor.
As the global health community resets its annual clock — and I begin cataloging the big health stories of this year — we should take a moment to reflect on the 12 months recently ended.
Even in a mediocre year, the global health community saved millions of lives. Imagine what we could achieve in an extraordinary year.
Copyright: Project Syndicate 2018
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