极端干旱天气与艾滋病传播的关系

AS IT IS 2015-07-07 Extremely Dry Weather Raises HIV Risk 极端干旱天气与艾滋病传播的关系

Could saving money reduce the spread of HIV, the human immunodeficiency virus? A new study finds protecting people from financial hardship may reduce their likelihood¹ of risky² behaviors that spread the virus.

Kelly Jones is an economist³ at the International Food Policy Research Institute.

She says lack of rainfall is usually the main reason for financial bad news in rural areas of sub-Saharan Africa. Most people there depend on agriculture to earn money.

For the study, Ms. Jones and her colleagues compared rainfall patterns over the past 10 years to HIV rates in villages in 19 African countries.

She says her research team made a surprising discovery about droughts -- the periods during which there was very little or no rainfall. They found that the more droughts an area has had recently can predict a higher level of HIV infection in the community. In fact, the number of HIV cases was 11 percent higher for every drought.  

The researchers said the most likely explanation for this was that people were dealing⁴ with the crisis⁵ by trading sex for financial support. That raised their risk of HIV, the virus blamed for the disease AIDS.

Kelly Jones says the researchers looked at the groups of individuals with the highest HIV rates: women farmers and non-farming men.

“That does suggest some pairing of the women who are experiencing the income shock with the men who are least affected⁶ by that income shock.”

Other research shows that drought in Africa may be linked to crime and political unrest.

Edward Miguel is an economist at the University of California at Berkeley. He was not part of the new study. But he has examined the issue.

He says the economic problems caused by drought do not just lead to social or political unrest. He says they also have a powerful effect on the health of community members.

Ms. Jones says better ways to deal with the issue could include easier methods for opening bank savings⁷ accounts and better access to credit. Another way is weather-based crop insurance system -- programs to protect farmers from crop losses. Ms. Jones adds that it is also important to urge farmers to grow more drought-tolerant crops.

She is now studying whether helping⁸ at risk women increase their savings could lower their likelihood of HIV infection.

Words in This Story

hardship – n. pain; suffering; loss

colleague(s) – n. researchers; fellow workers

pattern(s) – n. things that happen in a regular way

saving account(s) – n. bank accounts in which people keep money that they want to save

drought-tolerant – adj. relating to something that require less water

1 likelihood   

n.可能，可能性

参考例句：

• We must try our best to reduce the likelihood of war.我们必须尽最大努力减少战争的可能性。
• I don't think there is any likelihood of his agreeing to it.我认为不会有他同意那件事情的可能。

2 risky   

adj.有风险的，冒险的

参考例句：

• It may be risky but we will chance it anyhow.这可能有危险，但我们无论如何要冒一冒险。
• He is well aware how risky this investment is.他心里对这项投资的风险十分清楚。

3 economist   

n.经济学家，经济专家，节俭的人

参考例句：

• He cast a professional economist's eyes on the problem.他以经济学行家的眼光审视这个问题。
• He's an economist who thinks he knows all the answers.他是个经济学家，自以为什么都懂。

4 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。

5 crisis   

n.危机，危急关头，决定性时刻，关键阶段

参考例句：

• He had proved that he could be relied on in a crisis.他已表明，在紧要关头他是可以信赖的。
• The topic today centers about the crisis in the Middle East.今天课题的中心是中东危机。

6 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

7 savings   

n.存款，储蓄

参考例句：

• I can't afford the vacation,for it would eat up my savings.我度不起假，那样会把我的积蓄用光的。
• By this time he had used up all his savings.到这时，他的存款已全部用完。

8 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。