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(单词翻译:双击或拖选)
In a former township outside of Cape1 Town, South Africa, there's a high rate of HIV infection among pregnant women. Many are unable to get the treatment they need to save their lives and the lives of their children. But that's about to change with the launch of a new project that aims to break down barriers to antiretroviral therapy.
The man in charge of the new project is Dr. Landon Myer, an associate professor based at the School of Public Health and the Desmond Tutu HIV Center at the University of Cape Town. His work centers on the community of Gugulethu.
"It's a community of about 300,000 people of predominantly low socio-economic status, who live in a context of extreme poverty and with a very high prevalence of HIV infections. So the prevalence of HIV in this setting is about 28 percent and so HIV presents an incredible problem to the community and to HIV infected women, who are pregnant, in particular," he says.
Complicated health care
Dr. Myer is the recipient2 of the International Leadership Award from the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation. A $300,000 grant will fund his project. The aim to find the best strategies to allow HIV positive pregnant women to receive antiretroviral therapy.
"The underlying3 issue," he says, "is that lifelong antiretroviral therapy is the best form of prophylaxis or prevention of mother-to-child transmission [PMTCT] of HIV. At the same time, it's a critical intervention4 for the health of HIV infected mothers."
He says many HIV positive pregnant women in Gugulethu fall between the cracks of a dual5 health care system. A system fraught6 with complications and uncoordinated medical appointments.
"The existing antenatal health service, midwife obstetric units they're called, are very good at providing simple, short course antiretroviral regimens to pregnant women, who are HIV infected, but don't have advanced disease. And an entirely7 separate health service is focused on starting antiretroviral therapy in eligible8 adults, regardless of whether or not their men or women or pregnant or not pregnant. And we find that these pregnant women tend to fall between the cracks between these two very different services," he says.
That lack of coordination9 makes it difficult for a woman to arrange transportation, child care and time off from work. Then there are the psychological concerns of starting antiretroviral therapy during pregnancy10.
Myer says, "The issues are complicated and often complicated issues require sort of holistic11 and multifaceted interventions12."
Continental13 benefits
Success in Gugulethu, he says, could have wide ranging effects throughout the continent.
"If this project is really the success that I think we're all hoping it will be, we'll identify interventions, be able to identify interventions that can be generalized to other communities. Both other communities in South Africa, but other communities across sub-Saharan Africa because this is, I believe, one of the real key issues facing PMTCT and HIV care and treatment globally," he says.
Since 2002, the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation has awarded more than $5 million in grants to 13 recipients14 in 9 countries as part of its International Leadership Award.
1 cape | |
n.海角,岬;披肩,短披风 | |
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2 recipient | |
a.接受的,感受性强的 n.接受者,感受者,容器 | |
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3 underlying | |
adj.在下面的,含蓄的,潜在的 | |
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4 intervention | |
n.介入,干涉,干预 | |
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5 dual | |
adj.双的;二重的,二元的 | |
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6 fraught | |
adj.充满…的,伴有(危险等)的;忧虑的 | |
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7 entirely | |
ad.全部地,完整地;完全地,彻底地 | |
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8 eligible | |
adj.有条件被选中的;(尤指婚姻等)合适(意)的 | |
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9 coordination | |
n.协调,协作 | |
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10 pregnancy | |
n.怀孕,怀孕期 | |
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11 holistic | |
adj.从整体着眼的,全面的 | |
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12 interventions | |
n.介入,干涉,干预( intervention的名词复数 ) | |
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13 continental | |
adj.大陆的,大陆性的,欧洲大陆的 | |
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14 recipients | |
adj.接受的;受领的;容纳的;愿意接受的n.收件人;接受者;受领者;接受器 | |
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