VOA慢速英语2014 泰国的年轻人中艾滋病病例增多

 

AS IT IS 2014-08-29 HIV/AIDS Cases Rise Among Young in Thailand 泰国的年轻人中艾滋病病例增多

An increasing number of young people in Thailand are becoming infected with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.

The United Nations Childrens Fund released a report about HIV on August 25th.  The report said people in Thailand between the ages of 15-24 have about 70 percent of the HIV infections caused by sex.

Researchers gathered information from almost 2,000 young people in Thailand who are members of groups that have a higher risk of becoming infected with HIV.

Researchers said infections rates are rising in young people who sell sex for money and who use needles to put drugs into their bodies. Young men who have unprotected sex with other men are also increasingly infected with HIV.

Researchers said they want to tell these groups to be more careful about having sex. However, they say, it is becoming more difficult to communicate with young people.   

Robert Gass is the HIV/AIDS chief in Thailand for UNICEF. He said 10 or 15 years ago health workers could easily talk to young people about having safe sex -- health workers could enter a bar where homosexuals go and talk to them about the importance of using condoms.

But now, he says, many people can just use the Internet to find sexual¹ partners. He says they are able to find these partners using apps on their smartphones.

Health workers say women who work in Thailand’s prostitution centers are better-protected from HIV. Women in these centers understand how to avoid the virus. And they take steps to keep from getting infected.

However, the UNICEF study found that female sex workers in Thailand who are not Thai often cannot use the country’s free health services. They also may not get important information about how to prevent HIV.

And another group of young women is at a higher risk of getting the virus: those who have sex for money but do not work all the time as sex workers. Mr. Gass says this group includes university students and young girls. He says they meet the people they will have sex with on the street or at bars.

He says they “really don’t have the life skills and negotiating² ability to ensure that the partners that they spend time with are using condoms.”

Researchers estimate about 500,000 people in Thailand are living with HIV. At one time AIDS was the top killer³ in the country. Now the disease is number five. It is responsible for four percent of all deaths in Thailand.

1 sexual   

adj.性的，两性的，性别的

参考例句：

• He was a person of gross sexual appetites.他是个性欲旺盛的人。
• It is socially irresponsible to refuse young people advice on sexual matters.拒绝向年轻人提供性方面的建议是对社会不负责任。

2 negotiating   

n. 谈判 动词negotiate的现在分词

参考例句：

• They were coerced into negotiating a settlement. 他们被迫通过谈判解决。
• We want to get all the parties back to the negotiating table. 我们想把有关各方拉回到谈判桌上来。

3 killer   

n.杀人者，杀人犯，杀手，屠杀者

参考例句：

• Heart attacks have become Britain's No.1 killer disease.心脏病已成为英国的头号致命疾病。
• The bulk of the evidence points to him as her killer.大量证据证明是他杀死她的。