(1). Science and Technology The fight against AIDS HIV’s slow retreat
科技 与艾滋病之战 艾滋病的缓慢退却
(2). One of the world’s worst plagues is giving ground
抗击艾滋病:显现曙光
(3). That report carries good news. Though some 33m people are infected, the rate of new infections is falling—down from 3.1m a year a decade ago to 2.6m in 2009. Moreover, as the map shows, the figure is falling fastest in many of the most heavily infected countries, especially those of sub-Saharan Africa and South and South-East Asia.
这份报告带来了好消息。纵使艾滋病毒感染人数已达3300万,但新增感染者的速度正在放慢——从十年前的每年感染310万人降至2009年的260万人。此外,从这张地图上可以看出,正是那些感染最严重的国家新增感染者的速度下降最快,尤其是撒哈拉以南的非洲国家以及南亚、东南亚国家。
(4). The reason is a combination of behavioural change (people are losing their virginity later, are being less promiscuous and are using condoms more), a big reduction in mother-to-child transmission at birth and during breast-feeding, and the roll-out of drug treatment for those already infected.
此中原因是多方面的:包括性行为方式的改变(初次性行为年龄的推迟,滥交的减少以及越来越多地使用安全套),母婴分娩传播与哺乳传播的大幅减少,以及已感染者对毒品的戒除。
(5). 1:Besides prolonging life, anti-HIV drugs make those taking them less likely to pass the virus on.
2:More than 5m people in poor and middle-income countries are now on such drugs, though Michel Sidibe, the head of UNAIDS, says another 10m could benefit.
3:(The remainder of those infected are not yet ill enough for drugs to do them good.
4:) The problem, as always, is money.
5:Dr Sidibe reckons the fight needs about $25 billion a year to be fully effective.
6:At the moment, the sum spent is around $17 billion.
7:Not a bad fraction of the desideratum, but one that will be hard to sustain in the face of the world’s economic difficulties.
1:抗艾滋药物除了可以延长生命,还可降低服用者将病毒向他人传播的几率。
2:超过500万来自贫困或中等收入国家的艾滋病患者正在服用这种药物,即使这样,据联合国艾滋病规划署的负责人Michel?Sidibe说,仍有超过1000万人需要这种药物。
3:(这些人已感染病毒但还未服药,因为症状还不足以使药物发挥作用。
4:)资金不足始终是个问题。
5:Sidibe博士认为,抗击艾滋病每年大约需250亿美元方可全力维持。
6:但现在最高的年支出只有约170亿美元。
7:与总需求相比这还不算太糟,但在全球经济面临困境的当下,想维持这一水平却又是个难题。