As 2024 comes to a close your inbox is likely filling with lists of “best of” for the year—from the best TV shows to the best gifts to give. Our “best of” list may not solve your gifting dilemmas, but it will hopefully leave you inspired for what’s possible in global health and increasing opportunities for people everywhere thrive
When we talk about global health, we are ambitious—we know that it’s entirely possible to save more lives. When we reflect on progress toward those goals, we look at trends. Bill Gates loves to talk about “the most beautiful chart in the world”—a downward slope of data points that show that 50% fewer children are dying today than they were in 1990. The data tell us that life expectancy globally has increased and vaccines have reduced preventable deaths from once-widespread diseases like polio and meningitis A.
But those trends are comprised of incremental achievements along the way—year-over-year commitments to improved access to and quality of health care for all.
At Gates Philanthropy Partners, we are fortunate to hear about the wins—big and small—from the grantees that our donors generously support and to be able to tap the experts at the Gates Foundation and at partner organizations around the world to understand how and why those wins matter.
So here is our take on some of the “best of” in global health for 2024—a year filled with wins that are contributing to what we know are data points already plotting what will become the next “most beautiful chart.”
Countries continued to tackle diseases
One of the big goals in global health is disease eradication—the permanent removal of a disease worldwide. This goal is only possible through the work of individual countries. Here are two highlights from this year:
- After a 100-year effort (yes, you read that right), the World Health Organization (WHO) certified Egypt as malaria-free. Egypt became the 44th country in the world to eliminate malaria, a disease that has been traced back to 4000 BC in the North African region. This is an important milestone and starts a new phase of ongoing monitoring to prevent new cases.
- Lymphatic filariasis, commonly known as elephantiasis, is a debilitating parasitic disease spread by mosquitoes. In September, Brazil was certified by WHO as having eliminated the disease as a public health problem, joining 19 other countries in this achievement.
Collaboration continued to fuel action
At GPP, our model of giving is built on collaboration because we know that no one person or organization can solve the complex challenges we face today. We like to celebrate when others come together, too:
- Lead poisoning kills more than 1.5 million people annually. In September, USAID and UNICEF announced the Partnership for a Lead-Free Future, a new initiative to combat lead poisoning affecting children in low-income countries. With $150 million in support from various donors, this partnership is reinvigorating interest in an often-overlooked issue that can impact millions of lives.
- In May, the Novo Nordisk Foundation, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and Wellcome Trust announced a new three-year, $300 million partnership to catalyze research and innovation to advance health solutions that are affordable and accessible to people in low- and middle-income countries.
Improved health systems prevented widespread outbreaks
The wins below are the hardest to capture. How do you count what didn’t happen? Here, we’re talking about prevention and how the global health community is coming together to build the infrastructure that helps us all stay healthy:
- Because of the incredible efforts in Rwanda to build a robust health system, it was prepared when a deadly outbreak of Marburg disease was announced in September. Typically, Marburg outbreaks result in high fatalities and are difficult to contain, but Rwanda’s pathogen surveillance systems and ability to test for and rapidly diagnose cases has so far limited the reach of this devastating disease.
- Similarly, while the outbreak of mpox has been much more alarming, countries are better-equipped to identify cases and share prevention information with the public. Public health experts and scientists are leaning on training, infrastructure improvements, and sharing of knowledge—tactics learned during COVID-19 pandemic—to limit the spread of this virus.
This list is by no means exhaustive. There are governments, philanthropies, nonprofits, and communities working together every day toward improving the lives of those around them.
We hope this list inspires you to reflect on how you are part of this global community that is making progress toward a future where everyone has an opportunity to thrive.
That’s a wrap on 2024. We wish you a healthy start to 2025!
