Photo Credit: WHO
Good news in the health world is a funny thing. For those of us working in the field, it makes us nervous. After nearly a decade working in HIV, I can uncomfortably say that I’m invested in the bad news: when the New York Times says the AIDS war is falling apart, I hope that people will mobilize. When the UN announces that the majority of countries are not on track to reach the Millennium Development Goals, I hope that we’ll get more funding.
So yesterday’s study published by The Lancet gave me mixed feelings. The study found that 820,000 fewer children died annually than the previous report released by UNICEF and that globally, we’re making huge progress in reducing infant mortality, with rates falling 2% each year since 1990. It gets better: declining rates are accelerating in parts of the world where progress has been most elusive, such as sub-Saharan Africa. And it gets better again: maternal health estimates released last month were similarly promising.
And look at the real numbers: in 2010, there will be an estimated 7.7 million under-5 deaths, compared to 11.9 million in 1990. Clearly, even one child death is a tragedy, but this represents enormous progress. A 35% overall decline in 20 years is something which we should certainly celebrate.
So how does this make me feel, all this good news? In truth, I’m a bit reserved. At the front lines, I know that these numbers represent a huge political effort and scale-up of funding in recent years. The Wall Street Journal writes: “…it appears to reflect a scale-up of funding in recent years for efforts to combat malaria, mother-to-child transmission of HIV, and to immunize more children, resulting in greater progress than previously known against childhood diseases, the researchers said.” Recent equivocation on foreign aid by the Obama administration, and threat of aid decline globally in light of the economic crisis, could result in less investment made on maternal and infant health and a backslide of recent progress.
Or maybe I’m just trying to put a lid on all this good news. My nerves can’t handle it.