VOA慢速英语2019 巴基斯坦小镇艰难应对艾滋病爆发

Pakistan Town Struggles with Rise in HIV Infections

A town in Pakistan is struggling to deal with patients infected with HIV, the virus that can lead to Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome¹, known as AIDS.

巴基斯坦的一个小镇正在努力应对感染艾滋病毒的患者，这种病毒会导致获得性免疫缺陷综合征，即艾滋病。

Nearly 700 HIV cases have been reported in the town of Ratodero, in Sindh Province, since April. Most of the patients are children.

自4月份以来，信德省Ratodero镇已经报告了近700起艾滋病病例，其中大多数患者是儿童。

“For me it was impossible to imagine,” said Nazeer, recalling the day a doctor said his 16 month-old girl had tested positive for HIV.

纳泽尔（Nazeer）说：“这对我来说简直无法想象。”他回忆起当天有医生说他16岁的女儿艾滋病毒检测呈阳性。

“I told him ‘are you joking with me, how can she have HIV?,’” he said. Nazeer spoke² with the Reuters news agency from his home in Ratodero, about 500 kilometers from Karachi, Pakistan’s largest city.

他说：“我跟他说，‘你在跟我开玩笑吗？她怎么会感染艾滋病毒？'”纳泽尔在他的家乡Ratodero接受了路透社的采访，这里距离巴基斯坦最大的城市卡拉奇大约有500公里。

His daughter is receiving treatment, he said, adding he did not know how she was infected.

他说他的女儿正在接受治疗，他还说他不知道她是如何被感染的。

Health officials say 681 people have tested positive for HIV in the town since April 25. Of that number, 537 are children.

卫生官员表示，自4月25日以来，已经有681人在该镇检测出艾滋病毒阳性，其中537人为儿童。

Thousands of people have taken an HIV test at Ratodero’s only testing center in a government hospital. Others have been tested at private medical centers.

数千人已经在Ratodero唯一一家政府医院的检测中心接受了艾滋病毒检测，还有人在私人医疗中心接受了检测。

About 60% of Ratodero patients were infected by reused medical instruments, such as needles and syringes, or through donated blood, says Doctor Sikander Memon. He is head of the province’s AIDS control program.

Sikander Memon医生表示，Ratodero近60%的患者是被重复使用的针头和注射器等医疗器械传染，或是通过捐献的血液感染。他是该省艾滋病控制项目的负责人。

Police and doctors carried out an investigation³. They found that 123 HIV patients had been treated by the same doctor before they were infected.

警察和医生展开了调查。他们发现有123名艾滋病毒感染者在被感染前接受了同一位医生的治疗。

Dr. Muzaffar Ghanghro was arrested on April 30 and has been charged with unintentional murder, police said.

警方表示，Muzaffar Ghanghro医生于4月30日被捕，并被指控犯有非故意杀人罪。

Reuters was not permitted to contact Ghangro in jail and was not able to contact his lawyer.

路透社未被允许接触在监狱中的Ghangro，也没法联系上他的律师。

‘Sold all my valuables’

卖光家产

Pakistan has about 163,000 HIV and AIDS patients, said Zafar Mirza, a health adviser⁴ to Prime Minister Imran Khan.

巴基斯坦总理伊姆兰汗的卫生顾问扎法尔·米尔扎表示，巴基斯坦大约有16.3万名艾滋病患者。

At Pakistan’s request, the World Health Organization and the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have sent experts to the area.

应巴基斯坦的请求，世卫组织和美国疾控预防中心已经派专家前往该地区。

Pakistan’s government has ordered 50,000 HIV testing kits⁶ and is setting up three treatment centers. Adult patients are receiving anti-retroviral drugs, and medicines have been ordered for children, Mirza said.

巴基斯坦政府已经订购了5万个艾滋病毒检测试剂盒，并开始建立三个治疗中心。米尔扎表示，成年患者开始服用抗逆转录病毒药物，并且已经为儿童订购了药物。

The Ratodero cases are evidence of the current state of healthcare in Pakistan, a nation of 208 million people. Almost a third of the population lives on less than $3.20 a day. Many Pakistanis cannot pay for costly⁷ medical tests or drugs.

Ratodero的病例是巴基斯坦目前医疗现状的明证，这个国家有2.08亿人口。近三分之一的人口每天的生活费用不足3.2美元，很多巴基斯坦人无法负担昂贵的医学检测或药物费用。

Few families can pay for proper treatment of HIV, which usually involves trips to Karachi.

只有很少的家庭能够承担艾滋病的治疗费用，通常需要前往卡拉奇治疗。

“I have sold all my valuables for treatment. Now I can’t afford to go Karachi for my children’s medicines every month,” said Tariq, who lives in a village near Ratodero.

住在Ratodero附近一个村庄的塔里克表示：“我已经卖掉了家里所有值钱东西用于治疗，现在我负担不起每个月去卡拉奇给我的孩子治疗。”

Tariq, his wife and daughter are HIV positive, and a relative tested positive this month. He does not know how they became infected.

塔里克表示，他的妻子和女儿都呈艾滋病毒阳性，这个月还有个亲戚检测出艾滋病毒阳性。他不知道他们是如何被感染的。

“There are 16 HIV cases in our village alone. No one has come to see our plight⁸,” he said.

他说：“光我们村就有16起艾滋病病例，没人来管过我们的困境。”

I'm Jill Robbins.

Words in This Story

positive – adj. of or related to the presence or possession of something; evidence that a substance or conditions is present or exists

unintentional – adj. unplanned

kit⁵ – n. a set of things or equipment needed for a purpose

proper – adj. the required or correct kind of something

plight – n. a danger or difficult situation

1 syndrome   

n.综合病症；并存特性

参考例句：

• The Institute says that an unidentified virus is to blame for the syndrome. 该研究所表示,引起这种综合症的是一种尚未确认的病毒。
• Results indicated that 11 fetuses had Down syndrome. 结果表明有11个胎儿患有唐氏综合征。

2 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

3 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

4 adviser   

n.劝告者，顾问

参考例句：

• They employed me as an adviser.他们聘请我当顾问。
• Our department has engaged a foreign teacher as phonetic adviser.我们系已经聘请了一位外籍老师作为语音顾问。

5 kit   

n.用具包，成套工具；随身携带物

参考例句：

• The kit consisted of about twenty cosmetic items.整套工具包括大约20种化妆用品。
• The captain wants to inspect your kit.船长想检查你的行装。

6 kits   

衣物和装备( kit的名词复数 )； 成套用品； 配套元件

参考例句：

• Keep your kits closed and locked when not in use. 不用的话把你的装备都锁好放好。
• Gifts Articles, Toy and Games, Wooden Toys, Puzzles, Craft Kits. 采购产品礼品，玩具和游戏，木制的玩具，智力玩具，手艺装备。

7 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。

8 plight   

n.困境，境况，誓约，艰难；vt.宣誓，保证，约定

参考例句：

• The leader was much concerned over the plight of the refugees.那位领袖对难民的困境很担忧。
• She was in a most helpless plight.她真不知如何是好。