VOA慢速英语 2007 0117a

This is the VOA Special English Health Report.

Our subject this week is children and AIDS.


A baby sleeps in her mother's arms next to the anti-AIDS drug nevirapine

The United Nations Children's Fund, UNICEF, has just released a report on a campaign launched in October of two thousand five. UNICEF, the U.N. AIDS program and other groups wanted to bring greater attention to the needs of children affected¹ by AIDS.

The report on the Unite for Children, Unite Against AIDS campaign says there are signs of progress.

One of the biggest problems is the spread of HIV from mothers to children. Mother-to-child transmission was the main cause of the estimated half-million new infections last year in children under the age of fifteen.

UNICEF reports that several countries in eastern and southern Africa have made what it calls breakthroughs. It says they greatly increased the number of mothers who receive antiretroviral drugs. These medicines can prevent mother-to-child transmission.

For example, the report says Namibia increased coverage² from six percent of mothers to twenty-nine percent. That was between two thousand four and two thousand five. And in South Africa, it says, the number rose during that same period from twenty-two percent of mothers to thirty percent.

However, the report says there are still far too many pregnant women infected with HIV who do not get antiretroviral treatment. Only nine percent of them in poor countries were getting the medicines in two thousand five.

UNICEF also reports gains in providing treatment to children who already have HIV or AIDS. The agency says testing programs and health worker skills have improved. Lower drug prices and simpler treatments have also helped in the care of children with HIV/AIDS.

Several countries increased HIV treatment for children by combining it with programs at treatment centers for adults. The report says the countries include Botswana, India, Rwanda, South Africa and Thailand.

Still there is much more room for progress. UNICEF says just one in ten infected children worldwide gets antiretroviral treatment. And only four percent of children born to HIV-infected mothers receive drugs to prevent infections that can be deadly.

The UNICEF report also discusses efforts to help the millions of children who have lost parents to AIDS. It says more and more are getting educations, thanks in part to the cancellation³ of school charges in several countries.

And that's the VOA Special English Health Report, written by Caty Weaver⁴. I'm Bob Doughty⁵.

1 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。

2 coverage   

n.报导，保险范围，保险额，范围，覆盖

参考例句：

• There's little coverage of foreign news in the newspaper.报纸上几乎没有国外新闻报道。
• This is an insurance policy with extensive coverage.这是一项承保范围广泛的保险。

3 cancellation   

n.删除，取消

参考例句：

• Heavy seas can cause cancellation of ferry services.海上风浪太大，可能须要取消渡轮服务。
• Her cancellation of her trip to Paris upset our plan.她取消了巴黎之行打乱了我们的计划。

4 weaver   

n.织布工；编织者

参考例句：

• She was a fast weaver and the cloth was very good.她织布织得很快，而且布的质量很好。
• The eager weaver did not notice my confusion.热心的纺织工人没有注意到我的狼狈相。

5 doughty   

adj.勇猛的，坚强的

参考例句：

• Most of successful men have the characteristics of contumacy and doughty.绝大多数成功人士都有共同的特质：脾气倔强，性格刚强。
• The doughty old man battled his illness with fierce determination.坚强的老人用巨大毅力与疾病作斗争。