1) Treating HIV prevents transmission: Treatment as Prevention is a made-in-Canada strategy that treats people living with HIV before they show signs of AIDS. This transforms the infection from a death sentence to a manageable chronic condition, and reduces HIV transmission by as much as 96%.
2) India celebrates one year polio-free: India became the newest member of the polio-free club, celebrating its first full year with no new cases of the paralyzing infection. Today there are fewer new polio cases, in fewer regions of fewer countries, than ever before.
3) Guinea worm on track for eradication: Another global target for eradication, only 1,096 cases of Guinea worm disease were diagnosed in four African countries this year, down from an estimated 3.5 million cases across Africa and Asia when eradication efforts began in 1986. There is no vaccine or drug treatment for Guinea worm; eradication is based almost entirely on making drinking water safer.
In this photo taken earlier this year in Sierra Leone, a Red Cross volunteer demonstrates proper hand-washing technique. Lack of clean water and sanitation, and poor hygiene can lead to disease outbreaks such as cholera. Photo credit: Jarkko Mikkonen / Finnish Red Cross
4) More people have access to safe drinking water: The UN announced that between 1990 and 2010 more than 2 billion people gained access to safe drinking water. 89% of the world's population, 6.1 billion people, now use improved drinking water sources. However, the UN cautions that 783 million people still can’t access safe water, and 2.5 billion lack access to basic sanitation.
5) Child mortality is falling: A UN report said that child mortality has fallen in every part of the world in the past 20 years, and is down by at least half in many regions. In 2000-2011, countries in Sub-Saharan Africa reduced child mortality twice as quickly as in the decade before. Still, last year nearly 7 million children died before their fifth birthday, largely due to pneumonia, diarrhea and birth complications.