2006年VOA标准英语-On World AIDS Day, a Call for Strategies to Pre

By Carol Pearson
Washington, DC
01 December 2006
 
watch World AIDS Day report

 
HIV/AIDS-affected children sit on a chair, waiting for their lunch at Opot pagoda¹, a healing center run by a non-government organization in Cambodia (File)
In advance of World AIDS Day, the United Nations released some chilling statistics:  nearly 40 million people now have HIV/AIDS; there were more than 4 million new infections this year, and where HIV prevention programs have not been sustained, the number of new infections has increased.

To mark World AIDS Day, the World Health Organization and other public health officials are calling for greater attention to preventing the spread of AIDS. 

A sick little boy is one picture of AIDS.  World health officials are hoping that his picture can be replaced by this another one: a child being tested for AIDS so treatment can begin early if the tests are positive.

As the AIDS pandemic spreads, public health officials want more focus on preventing new infections. 

Yet, the World Health Organization reports HIV prevention programs are not reaching people most at risk.

 
Debrework Zewdie
The World Bank helps countries develop HIV prevention programs, yet Debrework Zewdie director of the bank's HIV/AIDS program says many countries ignore their citizens who are most at risk. "If the evidence in a specific country shows the epidemic² is driven by commercial sex work or injecting drug use, any country which is responsible for the welfare of its population, should primarily focus on these population groups before the epidemic spreads to the general population."

The World Health Organization says even limited resources that target at- risk populations, have high returns on the investment.

In China, programs focused on sex workers show increased condom use and decreased rates of sexually transmitted diseases, HIV included.

The WHO reports an increase in the number of HIV cases in Asia and Latin America through homosexual transmission.  Yet, the international health agency says prevention programs are not reaching these groups.

In Russia, the disease spreads mainly through drug users who share needles.

Two years ago, Joanne Csete, then with Human Rights Watch, projected an increase in the number of HIV cases in Russia. "Without any good prevention policies, good investment in what we know works, it could get very bad here very fast."

 
Russian drug users share drugs and needles
The United Nations says drug users account for three-fourths of the HIV/AIDS cases in Russia.

About one million Russians are infected with HIV/AIDS. The UN predicts that by 2020, the number could jump to 14.5 million.

Africa still remains³ the epicenter of the AIDS pandemic, and many Africans do not know about safe sex practices.  But the news is not all bad.  In many countries, [editors note: Botswana, Burundi, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Malawi, Rwanda, Tanzania and Zimbabwe] the number of young people infected has dropped since the year 2000.

Experts in HIV/AIDS want to promote programs that could reduce the spread of the virus that causes AIDS.

These programs include greater use of condoms.  Debrawork Zewdie says condom programs target women, another mistake. "The second mistake is, we never focused on men.  Many of the prevention strategies in many of the hard-hit countries, it is telling the vulnerable 'don't do this, do that.' These are the two things in my mind, that has fueled the epidemic, especially in eastern and southern Africa."

Empowering women is critical in the effort to stop AIDS. Programs that provide small loans to women so they can start their own businesses do just that. 

A few years ago, VOA met Brenda; a former prostitute who found out she had HIV. "I couldn't tell anybody.  I told my friend, right?  I stayed at home a week.  I couldn't go to work.  I was just crying."

With financial support from the community, Brenda and other women were able to raise vegetables and chickens and sell them. Brenda also works in the group’s office.

A recent study shows giving women small business loans and training them on gender/HIV issues reduces their chances of getting AIDS.

Yet another prevention program includes male circumcision.  Circumcision reduces men's chances of getting AIDS.

There is still no AIDS vaccine⁴, and until there is, countries need to help those with the greatest chance of contracting the disease, even if these people are considered undesirable⁵.  Right now this is critical to efforts to control the devastating⁶ HIV/AIDS pandemic.

Video: Courtesy of Family Health International

1 pagoda   

n.宝塔（尤指印度和远东的多层宝塔），（印度教或佛教的）塔式庙宇

参考例句：

• The ancient pagoda is undergoing repairs.那座古塔正在修缮中。
• The pagoda is reflected upside down in the water.宝塔影子倒立在水里。

2 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。

3 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

4 vaccine   

n.牛痘苗，疫苗；adj.牛痘的，疫苗的

参考例句：

• The polio vaccine has saved millions of lives.脊髓灰质炎疫苗挽救了数以百万计的生命。
• She takes a vaccine against influenza every fall.她每年秋季接种流感疫苗。

5 undesirable   

adj.不受欢迎的，不良的，不合意的，讨厌的；n.不受欢迎的人，不良分子

参考例句：

• They are the undesirable elements among the employees.他们是雇员中的不良分子。
• Certain chemicals can induce undesirable changes in the nervous system.有些化学物质能在神经系统中引起不良变化。

6 devastating   

adj.毁灭性的，令人震惊的，强有力的

参考例句：

• It is the most devastating storm in 20 years.这是20年来破坏性最大的风暴。
• Affairs do have a devastating effect on marriages.婚外情确实会对婚姻造成毁灭性的影响。