Emerging economies such as China, India and South Africa are discovering there is a downside to prosperity. As incomes rise, health can decline. On Monday, the U.N. opens a high-level meeting on non-communicable diseases that usually have been associated with western nations.
中国、印度和南非等新兴经济体发现繁荣也有它的缺点。当收入变多时，健康却可能变差。星期一，联合国将要举行一个有关非传染性疾病的高层级会议，过去这种会议通常是与西方国家有关。
In recent years, India and China have seen a growing middle class. But with greater affluence has come a surge in diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease and cancer. South Africa is on a similar path. The United Nations will debate what can be done about these illnesses.
最近几年，印度和中国的中产阶级人口变多。但财富的增加也促使了糖尿病、肥胖、心血管疾病和癌症的增加，而南非也正步上后尘。联合国将讨论如何应对这些疾病。
Project HOPE is calling on the U.N. to take strong action – not only on treatment – but prevention. The health-based NGO has programs in 35 countries on 5 continents, many of them dealing with non-communicable diseases or NCDs.
希望工程呼吁联合国不仅在治疗上，在预防方面也采取强有力的行动。这个主要关心健康议题的非政府组织在五大洲35国都有项目，许多的项目是应对非传染性疾病。
One of them – the HOPE Center – is located in Johannesburg, South Africa. Stefan Lawson, country director for Project HOPE, welcomes the U.N. meeting.
其中一个希望工程中心位于南非的约翰内斯堡。希望工程南非总干事斯戴芬.洛森对联合国举行这个会议表示欢迎。
“It’s the first time that we’ve had non-communicable diseases put on such a high-level forum. The last time a specific disease was done at this sort of level was for HIV and AIDS. And so, being able to push for non-communicable diseases up at that ministerial level I think will do a lot of good,” he said.
洛森说：“这是非传染性疾病第一次被纳入这么高层级的论坛。上次以这种层级讨论某种特定疾病是针对艾滋病毒和艾滋病。能以部长层级来推动讨论非传染性疾病，我想会有很多好处。”
What’s for dinner?
Lawson said a majority of South African men and women are now overweight.
洛森说，现在南非大部分男性和女性都过重。
“One of the results of prosperity is a change in lifestyle, which includes a change in diet. So, we see here in a shift to a more western diet – MacDonald’s, KFC, fast foods, more processed meat. Things like that that definitely have an impact on a person’s lifestyle,” he said.
他说：“繁荣的结果之一是生活方式的改变，包括了饮食的改变。我们看到了饮食更加西化，例如麦当劳、肯德基、速食，还有更多的加工肉类。那些东西对一个人的生活方式绝对有影响。”
Food prices have risen sharply in recent years, dealing a major blow to the poor. This has a direct effect on diet and health.
食物价格最近几年猛增，对穷人造成重大的打击。这对饮食和健康有直接影响。
“Healthy food – fruits and vegetables, etc. – now becomes more difficult to purchase for someone who lives in a poor township environment. So, they’re forced to then buy cheaper, less healthy food,” he said.
洛森说：“像蔬菜水果这类的健康食物，对一个生活在贫穷环境的人来说会太贵而买不下手。所以他们被迫买比较便宜、比较不健康的食物。”
Footing the bill
As diets change, he said, whether or not by choice, the overall health of a country can decline. That, he says, can place a great burden on budgets.
洛森说，无论是自愿还是被迫改变饮食，南非的整体健康都可能在下降。他说，这会对预算造成沉重的负担。
“South Africa had a well documented problem with HIV and TB. And that really put a strain on the public health system. And (it) has caused a real strain in just the volume of people that are going into the clinics now. So, if you add on top of that now more people going into the clinics with things like diabetes and hypertension related issues, it’s just going to increase the burden even more on an already over strained public health system,” he said.
洛森说：“南非在艾滋病和结核病上有很严重的问题，那对公共健康系统造成了负担。光是去看诊的人数就已经是莫大的负担。更何况，现在更多的人因为糖尿病和高血压相关问题去就诊，这只会给一个负担沉重的公共健康系统增添更多负荷。”
He added higher health care costs can be a drag on South Africa’s economic growth.
他说，医疗费用变高可能拖累南非的经济增长。
Reaching out
The Hope Center project on the outskirts of Johannesburg provides services to those with non-communicable diseases. It’s a partnership with the local community, the South African government and donor Eli Lilly & Company. The services include a diabetes clinic with the latest diagnostic and treatment options.
位于约翰内斯堡郊区的希望工程中心为那些有非传染性疾病的人提供服务。它和当地社区、南非政府以及捐助者礼来公司有伙伴关系。他们的服务包括有最新诊疗技术的糖尿病诊所。
The center also has created peer support groups to help people manage their disease and make healthier lifestyle changes. Government health workers are also being trained about NCDs to help raise general awareness.
中心同时成立了同伴支持团体帮助人们应对他们的疾病，并让生活方式更健康。政府健康部门人员也在接受关于非传染性疾病的训练来提高大众意识。
“Teaching people about healthy meal options, teaching people about portion sizes, teaching people about how to cook their food in a healthier way. Then I think also the second part of that is being able to help people purchase those healthier food options. Because a lot of times some people know that an apple is healthier than a bag of chips, but a bag of chips costs a lot less than an apple,” said Lawson.
洛森说：“教导人们关于健康饮食选择、饮食份量、怎么以比较健康的方式烹饪。然后第二部分是，帮助人们买那些比较健康的食物。因为很多时候一些人知道苹果比一包薯片健康，但一包薯片比苹果便宜得多。”
Lawson hopes the U.N. high-level meeting will issue a strong statement that non-communicable diseases are an emerging threat in the developing world.
洛森希望，联合国这次高层级会议将会发表一份强有力的声明，突显非传染性疾病在发展中世界是个新兴的威胁。
In other countries, Project Hope said China has more than 300-million smokers and 30 percent of the population is overweight with 12 percent considered obese. In India, it says 50 million people have diabetes. It has clinics in both countries to help deal with the NCDs.
在其他国家，希望工程说，中国有超过三亿人抽烟，而30%的人口过重，12%的人口被认为肥胖。在印度，五千万人有糖尿病。希望工程在这两个国家都有诊所帮助应对非传染性疾病。 |