2024 Was A Year of Global Progress

 

By: Jordan Meadows

Staff Writer

One of the most remarkable moments of 2024 occurred in the fight against HIV. In June, Science Magazine heralded the discovery of a potential game-changer for global health: the twice-yearly drug lenacapavir, which, in an African clinical trial, reduced HIV infections to zero—an astonishing 100% efficacy rate.

This breakthrough represents the closest humanity has come to a vaccine for HIV in four decades. The drug’s ability to prevent transmission could alter the trajectory of HIV/AIDS, particularly in regions of Africa where the disease remains rampant. In December, further progress was announced: trials for a version of the drug that requires only a single shot per year began, suggesting the possibility of a near-complete eradication of new HIV infections soon.

The country of Jordan became the first to eliminate leprosy, and the country of Chad achieved a major milestone with the elimination of sleeping sickness. Guinea successfully eradicated maternal and neonatal tetanus, and nations like Belize and Jamaica became leaders in eliminating mother-to-child transmission of HIV and syphilis. Meanwhile, India, Vietnam, and Pakistan joined a small group of countries in the historic elimination of trachoma, the leading infectious cause of blindness.

Global Tuberculosis (TB) deaths had reached their lowest level ever recorded. Africa in particular showed remarkable progress, with a 42% reduction in deaths and a 24 percent decrease in infection rates since 2015. Cambodia has saved an estimated 400,000 lives from TB in the 21st century, and Ethiopia has achieved a sixfold drop in TB infections since the 1980s.

Egypt is now certified as malaria-free, and Cabo Verde became the first sub-Saharan African country in half a century to achieve the same status. Other countries like the Philippines made significant progress, eliminating malaria in all regions except for one. Meanwhile, 17 African countries, including Nigeria, the country with the world’s highest malaria burden, began rolling out the malaria vaccine.

The advent of GLP-1 therapies like Ozempic and Wegovy is set to make 2024 a landmark year in obesity treatment. These medications have proven to be highly effective in weight loss, and experts now believe they may be among the most successful medicines in history. Obesity affects over one billion people worldwide. Early studies indicate that these therapies are not only helping people lose weight, but they are also showing promise in the treatment of heart disease, kidney disease, and even Alzheimer’s disease.

Meanwhile, cancer treatments also made significant strides in 2024. In Canada, the cancer mortality rate has fallen by 12% over the last decade. In the United States, the cancer mortality rate has dropped by about a third since the 1990s, saving an estimated 4.1 million lives. In the United Kingdom, cancer-related deaths have decreased to their lowest levels in 25 years, and across Europe, the cancer mortality rate decreased by approximately 6.5 percent in men and 4.3 percent in women between 2018 and 2024.

A breakthrough treatment allowed an ALS patient to speak. Three people with severe vision loss saw significant improvement after receiving stem cell transplants, while an 11-year-old Moroccan boy with congenital deafness regained his hearing through gene therapy. Alzheimer’s research also saw major progress. Additionally, the world’s most powerful MRI machine produced its first human brain images, offering ten times more precision than traditional scanners in hospitals.

2024 has been a year of monumental progress in environmental conservation. One of the most ambitious pieces of environmental legislation came from the European Union, which passed a landmark law requiring at least 20% of land and sea to be restored by 2030. Canada created one of the largest Indigenous-led conservation efforts in the world.

On the social front, global poverty saw notable reductions in 2024. Brazil reported a 40 percent decline in extreme poverty in just one year, while Mexico lifted 9.5 million people out of poverty since 2018 through social policies. Cambodia has successfully lifted nearly half of its poor population out of poverty since 2017. In the Philippines, the poverty rate is expected to drop at least 7 percent by 2025.

In terms of education, progress has been equally impressive. Since 2000, the number of children not attending school globally has fallen by nearly 40 percent. In Eastern and Southern Africa, gender parity in primary education has been achieved, with 25 million more girls enrolled in primary school today than in the early 2000s. 110 million children have entered school worldwide since 2015, and 40 million more young people are completing secondary education. Additionally, school meals have become more widespread, with 480 million students now receiving meals at school. More than 100 countries committed to ending the corporal punishment of children.

In 2024, global democracy showed resilience: more than two billion people went to the polls. Bangladesh conducted a transparent and competitive election; the Middle East saw significant shifts as Syria witnessed the end of a decades-long dictatorship; Senegal, Sri Lanka and Botswana saw peaceful transfers of power to new leaders after decades of single party rule and in Cuba, free speech laws were enacted for the first time.

In 2024, crime trends around the world improved, including in the U.S., with a sharp decline in murders and a steady decrease in violent crime and motor vehicle thefts. The murder rate returned to pre-pandemic levels, while violent and property crimes reached some of the lowest rates since the 1960s and 1970s. Similarly, crime rates in Mexico, Brazil, and the Philippines saw notable reductions, with Mexico recording its lowest homicide rate since 2016.

As we close out the year, the future looks brighter than ever. 2024 has proven that decisive action and creative innovation can yield transformative results. However, much work remains to be done—addressing the ongoing challenges of inequality, public health, and environmental degradation will require sustained efforts in the years ahead.

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