WHO report shows mixed results for global health goals

The World Health Organization (WHO) released on Wednesday its World Health Statistics 2015 report to assess the progress made towards meeting health-related objectives in 194 countries around the world.

Data on mortality and health system indicators including life expectancy, illnesses and deaths from diseases, as well as statistics on health services and financial investment, unveil a mixed picture as the 2015 UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) deadline approaches.

"We have seen incredible progress in the last 25 years, particularly in HIV, malaria and tuberculosis" said WHO Health Statistics and Information Systems director Ties Boerma, adding that "many issues still need to be addressed."

WHO figures indicate that although few global targets have been met, a number of objectives show positive trends and are on track of being realized.

Regional disparities also highlight the varied situation across the world: the Americas, Europe and the Western Pacific have reported substantial progress across most health-related sectors since 1990, while the Eastern Mediterranean and Africa have reported only limited progress.

Recent development in countries such as China, which has "significantly contributed to global achievements" according to Boerma, has been decisive in improving the systemic outlook.

Figures show that China has met most of the MDG targets, including reducing the under-five mortality rate (by 76 percent), achieving a measles immunization rate among 1 year olds of 99 percent and reducing the tuberculosis mortality rate by 84 percent, amongst other achievements.

Amid a mixed global picture and despite health figures falling short of targets set in 2000, progress in global child survival is considered to be one of the greatest success stories of international development, as the mortality rate of children under five has almost halved since 1990.

Global trends of HIV, malaria and tuberculosis have also been reversed, meeting targets to turn around the epidemics by 2015 -- 2.1 million HIV infections were reported in 2013, compared to 3.4 million in 2001.

Similarly, the number of malaria cases is estimated to have fallen from 227 million in 2000 to 198 million in 2013.

The global life expectancy at birth for both sexes was 71 years in 2013 (compared to 64 in 1990), the lowest being in the African Region (58) and the highest in the Region of the Americas (77)

Come September, countries will draw up new global targets to be reached by 2030, so as to finish the MDG agenda and address emerging problems such as non-communicable diseases, which account for two-thirds of global deaths, as well as other socio-environmental factors which are affecting the global population. Enditem