VOA标准英语2011--Injection Drug Use Helps Drive HIV/AIDS

Injection Drug Use Helps Drive HIV/AIDS in Africa

Injection drug use has long been a driving factor in the HIV/AIDS epidemic¹ in Eastern Europe and Central Asia. But now, there are signs it's a growing problem in sub-Saharan Africa, as well.
The Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies, CSIS, sent a team to Kenya and Tanzania to study the relationship between injection drugs and HIV / AIDS.
"Globally, we know that it is quite a serious problem. And we know that one in every three new infections is attributable to injecting drug use. We know that in Eastern Europe, Central Asia, the former Soviet² Union, it continues to be the major driver of the epidemic there. What we're seeing happen on a parallel track is that in many countries, where the new HIV incidence is starting to stabilize³ and level off, that the proportion of IDU-related infections is continuing to increase," said CSIS team member Lisa Carty, who co-wrote a report on the problem. Carty is deputy director at the Global Health Policy Center at CSIS.
"I think the whole question of injecting drug use and HIV prevention has been one that's really been under resourced and not really paid adequate attention to, either from a policy or a programmatic point of view," she said.
White heroin⁴
The report said, "While it's clear the number of people injecting drugs is large and growing, the kind of epidemiological data needed for planning and implementing⁵ effective prevention and treatment programs remain uncertain." Epidemiology is the who, what, when, where, why and how of the matter.
"White" heroin became readily available in East Africa starting in the late 1990s, resulting in an increase in HIV infections through drug use.
Carty said, "It relates to drug trafficking routes coming out of South Asia and the fact that those routes have actually expanded and, you know, a lot of the sort of coastal⁶ cities of East Africa – Mombasa and Zanzibar and Dar es Salaam⁷ – have become more and more an entry point for drug trafficking out of the South Asia region in through Africa and then very often up through Europe and on to the United States."
Getting high, getting infected
Dr. Phil Nieberg, senior associate with the Global Health Policy Center, is co-author of the CSIS report. He said the sharing of syringes by drug addicts⁹ is a very easy way to transmit HIV. Far easier than sexual transmission.
"The reason is that usually with needle sharing there's blood left in the syringe or in the needle. So, basically, the second person to use the needle is getting an injection of someone else's blood that has a lot of virus in it," he said.
Women bear the brunt
And, as is the case in many sectors¹⁰ of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, women have it worse than men.
"Women who are drug users have a much higher HIV risk than men who are drug users. So that one reason for that is that many women, who inject drugs, turn to sex as a way of raising money to buy drugs. So there's an overlap¹¹ between sex work and drug use," he said.
Women then face the triple stigma¹² and discrimination threat of being HIV positive, a sex worker and a drug addict⁸.
"Even men who inject drugs stigmatize¹³ women who inject drugs, saying you shouldn't be doing this. I shouldn't do it either, but I'm a man, but you have responsibilities and family support," he said.
In an effort to avoid law enforcement, injection drug users go underground or hide. But that only takes them further from care and treatment. It's a similar situation for sexworkers and men having sex with men.
Both Nieberg and Carty said there are no easy answers for dealing¹⁴ with HIV positive drug users. But they said treating addiction¹⁵ as a disease instead of a crime could allow more addicts to seek help.
Counseling, needle exchange programs, the use of the heroin substitute methadone could all be part of the plan. Changes in U.S. policy made last year now allow more flexibility in foreign aid programs to deal with such issues

1 epidemic   

n.流行病；盛行；adj.流行性的，流传极广的

参考例句：

• That kind of epidemic disease has long been stamped out.那种传染病早已绝迹。
• The authorities tried to localise the epidemic.当局试图把流行病限制在局部范围。

2 Soviet   

adj.苏联的，苏维埃的；n.苏维埃

参考例句：

• Zhukov was a marshal of the former Soviet Union.朱可夫是前苏联的一位元帅。
• Germany began to attack the Soviet Union in 1941.德国在1941年开始进攻苏联。

3 stabilize   

vt.（使）稳定，使稳固，使稳定平衡；vi.稳定

参考例句：

• They are eager to stabilize currencies.他们急于稳定货币。
• His blood pressure tended to stabilize.他的血压趋向稳定。

4 heroin   

n.海洛因

参考例句：

• Customs have made their biggest ever seizure of heroin.海关查获了有史以来最大的一批海洛因。
• Heroin has been smuggled out by sea.海洛因已从海上偷运出境。

5 implementing   

v.实现( implement的现在分词 )；执行；贯彻；使生效

参考例句：

• -- Implementing a comprehensive drug control strategy. ――实行综合治理的禁毒战略。 来自汉英非文学 - 白皮书
• He was in no hurry about implementing his unshakable principle. 他并不急于实行他那不可动摇的原则。 来自辞典例句

6 coastal   

adj.海岸的，沿海的，沿岸的

参考例句：

• The ocean waves are slowly eating away the coastal rocks.大海的波浪慢慢地侵蚀着岸边的岩石。
• This country will fortify the coastal areas.该国将加强沿海地区的防御。

7 salaam   

n.额手之礼，问安，敬礼；v.行额手礼

参考例句：

• And the people were so very friendly:full of huge beaming smiles,calling out "hello" and "salaam".这里的人民都很友好，灿然微笑着和我打招呼，说“哈罗”和“萨拉姆”。
• Salaam is a Muslim form of salutation.额手礼是穆斯林的问候方式。

8 addict   

v.使沉溺；使上瘾；n.沉溺于不良嗜好的人

参考例句：

• He became gambling addict,and lost all his possessions.他习染上了赌博，最终输掉了全部家产。
• He assisted a drug addict to escape from drug but failed firstly.一开始他帮助一个吸毒者戒毒但失败了。

9 addicts   

有…瘾的人( addict的名词复数 )； 入迷的人

参考例句：

• a unit for rehabilitating drug addicts 帮助吸毒者恢复正常生活的机构
• There is counseling to help Internet addicts?even online. 有咨询机构帮助网络沉迷者。 来自超越目标英语 第3册

10 sectors   

n.部门( sector的名词复数 )；领域；防御地区；扇形

参考例句：

• Berlin was divided into four sectors after the war. 战后柏林分成了4 个区。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Industry and agriculture are the two important sectors of the national economy. 工业和农业是国民经济的两个重要部门。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

11 overlap   

v.重叠，与…交叠；n.重叠

参考例句：

• The overlap between the jacket and the trousers is not good.夹克和裤子重叠的部分不好看。
• Tiles overlap each other.屋瓦相互叠盖。

12 stigma   

n.耻辱，污名；(花的)柱头

参考例句：

• Being an unmarried mother used to carry a social stigma.做未婚母亲在社会上曾是不光彩的事。
• The stigma of losing weighed heavily on the team.失败的耻辱让整个队伍压力沉重。

13 stigmatize   

v.污蔑，玷污

参考例句：

• Children in single-parent families must not be stigmatized.单亲家庭的孩子们不应该受到歧视。
• They are often stigmatized by the rest of society as lazy and dirty.他们经常被社会中的其他人污蔑为懒惰、肮脏。

14 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

15 addiction   

n.上瘾入迷，嗜好

参考例句：

• He stole money from his parents to feed his addiction.他从父母那儿偷钱以满足自己的嗜好。
• Areas of drug dealing are hellholes of addiction,poverty and murder.贩卖毒品的地区往往是吸毒上瘾、贫困和发生谋杀的地方。