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are in MDGs
in Sri Lanka > Goal
6: Combat HIV / AIDS, Malaria and Other Diseases |
| MDGs
in Sri Lanka |
| Goal
6: Combat HIV / AIDS, Malaria and Other Diseases |
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“To have, by then, halted, and begun to reverse, the spread of HIV/AIDS, the scourge of malaria and other major diseases that afflict humanity.” Millennium Declaration
“Programmes will also be implemented for the total eradication of polio, malaria, dengue and rabies.”
“HIV/AIDS will be identified as a serious threat and immediate steps will be taken to save our youth and the country from this threat.” Mahinda Chintana
By January 2006, the AIDS epidemic had killed more than 25 million people worldwide (UNAIDS). Malaria is the other big killer, taking about 1 million, mostly young lives, every year globally. A resurgence of drug-resistant tuberculosis after near eradication is alarming and kills 1.7 million people a year. These diseases mostly kill or affect the poorest sections of society in the poorest countries. (UN MDGs Report 2005)
Sri Lanka is a country of low-level HIV epidemic, with an estimated number of 3,500 people living with HIV. As of 2004, 131 people had died from AIDS in Sri Lanka, however there is a potential for spread.
The country is still struggling with major diseases, such as malaria, dengue and tuberculosis. In 2001, the incidence rate of malaria was 350 per 100,000 people, with 53 deaths. Tuberculosis affected 44.1 per 100,000 people with a death rate of 1.8 per 100,000. |
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Goal
6 comprises the following targets:
Target 7: Have halted by 2015, and begun to reverse,
the spread of HIV/AIDS
While Sri Lanka is on track to reach
this target, it must take initiatives to prevent new cases
from occurring and begin to reverse the spread. |
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How
do we measure progress towards Target 7? Through the following
indicators:
The Key Indicators are:
18. HIV prevalence among 15-24 year old pregnant women
19. HIV prevalence rate among women (age 15-24) attending ante-natal clinics |
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| Current Status |
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HIV/AIDS prevalence in Sri Lanka is still relatively low,
however, there are indications that the actual infection
rates may be higher and that there is potential for spread.
Behavioural risk factors such as low contraceptive
use, increasing numbers of sex workers and high migration
pose serious challenges.
A highly vulnerable group is that of the Internally Displaced Persons of the North and East. Others are women working in the manufacturing industry, in the plantations and the migrant workers. In 2004, 48% of HIV cases were among housemaids seeking jobs abroad.
While HIV/AIDS awareness is generally high among women in Sri Lanka (90%), only 45% of women in the estate sector are aware of the disease (MDGs Sri Lanka Country Report 2005). |
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Government Strategies and Progress
In 1992 the government launched a major public awareness campaign through various media and a national programme to prevent and control HIV/AIDS in Sri Lanka. Recognizing the potential increase of HIV/AIDS incidence, the Government is promoting collaboration between several sectors, including health, education, labour, youth, defence and women’s affairs. |
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Challenges
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| Sri Lanka has to focus on these concerns: |
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Awareness and prevention programmes for the most vulnerable groups |
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Strengthening hospital facilities and making anti-retroviral drugs available |
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Multi-sectoral strategies to contain the economic and social consequences of infection as well as discrimination. |
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Target 8: Have halted by 2015 and begun to reverse, the incidence of malaria and other major diseases
Since the early 1940s, Sri Lanka has succeeded in lowering the incidence of malaria however, the country is still struggling to control this disease. Tuberculosis (TB) cases are on the increase as is dengue.
While Sri Lanka is faring well on most of the indicators under target 8, it must put more effort in reducing malaria deaths and TB incidence by 2015. |
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The following indicators are used to measure progress towards this target.
The Key Indicators are: |
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21. |
a) Incidence of Malaria / 100,000
b) Death rate associated with Malaria (Nos.) |
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22. |
Proportion of population in Malaria risk areas using effective Malaria prevention and treatment measures |
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a) Incidence of tuberculosis / 100,000
b) Death Rates (100,000) associated with tuberculosis |
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24. |
Proportion of TB cases detected and cured under directly observed short course (DOTS) |
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| Current Status |
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Malaria has been difficult to control in Sri Lanka
due to population increases, large-scale human colonization
in disease-endemic areas, rapid agro-ecological
change. The incidence of malaria has been
reduced by over four-fold between 1994 and 2001,
from 1,520 per 100,000 people to 350 per 100,000
people. However, since the mid-1990s, there
has been no significant reduction in the malaria
mortality rate. By 2002, malaria was in decline
in all districts except in the north and east, where
the number of malaria cases increased by 92.3%.
The lowest percentages of malaria cases were from
the Western and Southern Provinces with 0.9%.
The incidence of new TB cases has increased between 1991 and 2002 from 6,174 to 8,884 . In 2000 the highest TB prevalence was recorded in the Western Province (mainly Colombo district), with 3,159 cases, while the lowest was in the Northern Province, with only 335 cases. |
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Dengue fever is another potentially deadly mosquito-borne disease, which has infected, 12,000 cases in 2004, killing 90 people. Dengue incidence peaks just after the monsoon season, however the virus can be transmitted throughout the year in the Greater Colombo and other highly populated urban areas. (MDGs Country Report 2005) |
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Government Strategies and Progress
Regular media campaigns have helped raise awareness of malaria and dengue and educate the population about preventative measures.
The new DOTS strategy for TB detection and treatment is proving successful, however, lack of personnel and screening facilities has hampered early detection in the North and East. In 2003, 99% of one-year-old children were immunized against TB.
Biological control agents, such
as mosquito larvae-killing bacteria are being researched.
Special task forces and committees have been deployed
to increase awareness and control of dengue fever. |
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Support
District budgets linked to MDG
targets
NCED
Clusters
District
Map |
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| Challenges |
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Greater effort should
be put into HIV/AIDS prevention programmes, targeting
vulnerable groups such as estate, migrant and sex
workers, those affected by the armed conflict, military
personnel and prisoners. |
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Resources and infrastructure for the TB prevention programme must be bolstered. |
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Dengue breeding grounds must be destroyed with community education and participation.. |
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Better water management in rice cultivation areas. |
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Provision of insecticide-treated mosquito nets for vulnerable groups, such as young children and pregnant women |
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Improve sanitation |
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Improving preventative measures. |
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