HIV and AIDS

Wins:

* Global condom use among men doubled over the past five years.

* In 2008 there were 200,000 fewer AIDS-related deaths than in 2004.

* A vaginal microbicide gel containing the antiretroviral drug tenofovir used during intercourse showed promise in giving women a prevention tool they can control.

Losses:

* An estimated 42,000 preventable deaths from HIV occurred in pregnant women.

Source: UNAIDS report, MDG6: Six Things You Need to Know About the AIDS Response Today (http://bit.ly/9M3gCx)

Cholera

Wins:

* As many as 80% of cholera cases can be treated with oral rehydration salts.

Losses:

* As we went to press, cholera (which is a preventable disease) had killed more than 700 in Haiti and more than 1,800 in central Africa in 2010.

Sources: World Health Organization, cholera fact sheet (http://bit.ly/cQ7oY0) and Global Alert and Response: Cholera in Central Africa (http://bit.ly/ancmoJ); Pan American Health Organization updates (http://bit.ly/1afJjr)

Malaria

Wins:

* Prevention projects (insecticidal nets and indoor residual spraying) save an estimated 485 children from malarial death every day.

Losses:

* Malaria prevention programs in several African countries are lacking as much as 90% of the funding they need for full implementation.

Source: Roll Back Malaria Progress and Impact Series, Saving Lives with Malaria Control: Counting Down to the Millennium Development Goals (http://bit.ly/cHheFW)

(For more on goals and progress toward malaria elimination, see the Lancet's series on the topic at http://bit.ly/aTg1FO)

Polio

Wins:

* Fifteen African countries launched a synchronized campaign to eradicate polio by immunizing 72 million children.

Losses:

* Polio remains endemic in Nigeria, India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan.

Source: World Health Organization, Africa Seizes Chance Against Polio (http://bit.ly/bnlHVO)

Colorectal Cancer

Wins:

* The incidence of colorectal cancer declined over the past 20 years, which is attributed to increased screening that facilitates the detection and removal of precancerous polyps.

Losses:

* An estimated 51,370 deaths from colorectal cancer occurred in 2010, accounting for 9% of all cancer deaths in the United States.

Source: American Cancer Society, Cancer Facts and Figures 2010 (http://bit.ly/cXBFdn)