VOA标准英语2015--PrEP提高艾滋病感染者生存率

PrEP Improves Lives of HIV Infected PrEP提高艾滋病感染者生存率

During the more than 30 years of the HIV/AIDS epidemic¹, the overwhelming majority of infections have happened during sex. Much has been done to promote safe sex, such as condom use, behavior change and even abstinence. But the growing use of antiretroviral drugs to prevent infection has changed the lives of many people living with HIV and their uninfected partners.

A lot of science was presented at the International AIDS Conference on HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment and Prevention in Vancouver, also known as IAS 2015. But one of the presenters² was not a scientist. Damon Jacobs is a marriage and family therapist in New York City.

For the past four years, Jacobs has been on PrEP, or pre-exposure prophylaxis. Studies show the use of antiretroviral drugs dramatically reduces the risk of HIV transmission by lowering the amount of virus to near imperceptible levels. And when uninfected people take PrEP, it offers a lot of protection.

Jacobs began his presentation by swallowing a single pill as part of his daily PrEP regimen.

“Ok. Four years and one day – applause – It has now been four years and one day that I have been actively³ using PrEP. And as Dr. Graham mentioned, toward the end of 2012 starting to speak and teach and help people learn about this.”

But Jacobs was not at the conference to talk about facts and figures relating to PrEP.

He said, “I am just so in awe⁴ of all the researchers here and all the research I’ve been hearing all week. But there’s one thing that I think gets left out of these conversations time and time again. And that is the role of pleasure in these talks. Why are we here? Why are we still at IAS? Why are we still having two million new infections in the world every year? Because people are having sex for pleasure. Because people want to feel good.”

The therapist said that people want “maximal pleasure with minimal⁵ consequences and lower medical risks.”

“If we ignore that or dismiss that or judge that or condemn⁶ it or somehow sort of leave it out of the room because we don’t think it’s really important, we’re missing a lot. We’re missing a lot of opportunities to reach out – to build that trust that you were speaking about, which is so very important in these relationships. And to help the communities that we care about and the people we love have these experiences that they want to have -- the freedom that was mentioned earlier that they want to have. And it would be so easy to forget about that,” he said.

While the acronym⁷ PrEP is short for pre-exposure prophylaxis, Jacobs said it also means something else for users.

“For myself and the actually now 7,500 members of the PrEP group online, PrEP has come to mean something very, very different. Well, not very different, but a little different. The acronym we like to use is Pro-active Responsible Empowered Pleasure.”

He said it means users take “responsible action” in advance to ensure HIV does not spread in the community. He added it empowers men and women to have full control over their HIV status.

“After this week is over – after we’ve left Vancouver and those beautiful sunsets out there – and we’ve gone home to wherever it is – let’s please not forget the pleasure component⁸ in our work. It is such an important part of life. It is such an important part of helping⁹ our communities heal and move forward and implement¹⁰ all these exciting, amazing changes that we’re hearing about this week here at IAS,” he said.

IAS 2015 ended Wednesday.

Jacobs is the author of several books, including "Rational Relating – The Smart Way to Stay Sane¹¹ in the Crazy World of Love."

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 presenters   

n.节目主持人，演播员( presenter的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Each week presenters would put the case for their favourite candidate. 每个星期主持人推出他们最喜欢的候选人。 来自互联网
• Karaoke was set up to allowed presenters to sing on the stage. 宴会设有歌唱舞台，可让出席者大演唱功。 来自互联网

3 actively   

adv.积极地，勤奋地

参考例句：

• During this period all the students were actively participating.在这节课中所有的学生都积极参加。
• We are actively intervening to settle a quarrel.我们正在积极调解争执。

4 awe   

n.敬畏，惊惧；vt.使敬畏，使惊惧

参考例句：

• The sight filled us with awe.这景色使我们大为惊叹。
• The approaching tornado struck awe in our hearts.正在逼近的龙卷风使我们惊恐万分。

5 minimal   

adj.尽可能少的，最小的

参考例句：

• They referred to this kind of art as minimal art.他们把这种艺术叫微型艺术。
• I stayed with friends, so my expenses were minimal.我住在朋友家，所以我的花费很小。

6 condemn   

vt.谴责，指责；宣判(罪犯)，判刑

参考例句：

• Some praise him,whereas others condemn him.有些人赞扬他，而有些人谴责他。
• We mustn't condemn him on mere suppositions.我们不可全凭臆测来指责他。

7 acronym   

n.首字母简略词，简称

参考例句：

• That's a mouthful of an acronym for a very simple technology.对于一项非常简单的技术来说，这是一个很绕口的缩写词。
• TSDF is an acronym for Treatment, Storage and Disposal Facilities.TSDF是处理，储存和处置设施的一个缩写。

8 component   

n.组成部分，成分，元件；adj.组成的，合成的

参考例句：

• Each component is carefully checked before assembly.每个零件在装配前都经过仔细检查。
• Blade and handle are the component parts of a knife.刀身和刀柄是一把刀的组成部分。

9 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

10 implement   

n.(pl.)工具，器具；vt.实行，实施，执行

参考例句：

• Don't undertake a project unless you can implement it.不要承担一项计划，除非你能完成这项计划。
• The best implement for digging a garden is a spade.在花园里挖土的最好工具是铁锹。

11 sane   

adj.心智健全的，神志清醒的，明智的，稳健的

参考例句：

• He was sane at the time of the murder.在凶杀案发生时他的神志是清醒的。
• He is a very sane person.他是一个很有头脑的人。