U.S. Global Health Aid Is an Exemplar of Efficiency

Project Syndicate, Apr. 13, 2012by Bjorn Lomborg.  COPENHAGEN – This decade has seen remarkable progress against humanity’s greatest challenges. Consider the declaration of victory over polio in India, which seemed impossible ten years ago. January marked one year since the country’s last reported case.

Healthy societies are productive societies, and Ghana is making great progress. In many areas, from improved nutrition and poverty reduction to disease prevention, the country is witnessing significant development.

However, malaria remains a major public health concern. With one of every five citizens affected every year, it is the leading cause of death and disease and a great toll on all of society.

COPENHAGEN ― West Africa's Ebola epidemic has dominated headlines for much of the last year. But, as devastating as that outbreak has been, its death toll of less than 20,000 people is dwarfed by that of preventable diseases such as AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria, which together caused more than three million deaths in 2013, hitting the world's poorest people the hardest. This need not be the case; indeed, addressing these diseases would be an extraordinarily good investment.