A New International Coalition1 has been Launched

 

Broadcast: Jan 20 , 2003
By Jill Moss¹

This is the VOA Special English Development Report.

A new international coalition² has been launched³ to help fight AIDS and the H-I-V virus that causes it. The new International H-I-V Treatment Access Coalition will help provide anti-retroviral drugs to people in poor countries. This medicine helps prevent H-I-V from developing in the body. These drugs have been used in rich countries since nineteen-ninety-six. They have resulted in a sharp drop in H-I-V and AIDS sickness and death in those countries. Coalition officials say poor countries in the developing world must now have the same drugs.

Coalition officials say no single organization can successfully spread anti-AIDS drugs around the world. Instead, a united group effort is required. The coalition plans to work together to share information about successful treatment programs in developing countries. It will also establish programs to buy the medicines and train health care workers about the drugs.

The coalition says the price of anti-retroviral drugs is now decreasing. A one-year treatment used to cost ten-thousand dollars for one person. Today, it is less than three-hundred dollars. This is still a high price for people in developing countries. However, coalition officials say more aid money is now being used to pay for the drugs. In addition, many governments have reduced import taxes on medicines. Coalition officials say this political and humanitarian2 support must now be expanded to make treatment a reality for all people with H-I-V and AIDS.

The World Health Organization estimates⁵ more than forty-million people have the disease⁶. More than ninety-five percent live in poor and developing countries. Last year, nearly all of the more than three-million AIDS deaths were victims from these same poor countries.

The W-H-O says only about five percent of the people living with H-I-V in developing countries use anti-retroviral drugs. Coalition officials say their goal is to increase the number of patients on AIDS drugs during the next three years.

The International H-I-V Treatment Access Coalition has fifty-six members. They include governments, public health organizations, businesses, health researchers, humanitarian⁴ groups, victims, and their supporters. The W-H-O will supervise⁷ coalition efforts from its headquarters⁸ in Geneva, Switzerland.

This VOA Special English Development Report was written by Jill Moss.

1. coalition [7kEuE5lIFEn] n. 合并，联合
2. humanitarian [hju(:)7mAnI5tZErIEn] n. 人道主义者

1 moss   

n.苔，藓，地衣

参考例句：

• Moss grows on a rock.苔藓生在石头上。
• He was found asleep on a pillow of leaves and moss.有人看见他枕着树叶和苔藓睡着了。

2 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

3 launched   

v.发射( launch的过去式和过去分词 )；[计算机]开始（应用程序）；发动；开展（活动、计划等）

参考例句：

• He launched a bitter diatribe against the younger generation. 他对年轻一代发起了猛烈的抨击。
• The product was launched amid much fanfare worldwide. 这个产品在世界各地隆重推出。

4 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

5 estimates   

估计

参考例句：

• Unofficial estimates put the figure at over two million. 非官方的估计数字为200万以上。
• We got estimates from three different contractors before accepting the lowest. 我们得到3个承包商的报价后，接受了最低的报价。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 disease   

n.疾病，弊端

参考例句：

• The doctors are trying to stamp out the disease.医生正在尽力消灭这种疾病。
• He fought against the disease for a long time.他同疾病做了长时间的斗争。

7 supervise   

v.监督，管理，指导

参考例句：

• We must supervise and speed up the fulfilment of assigned tasks.已经布置了的工作，应当认真督促检查。
• Tomorrow he will supervise all the pupils taking the English examination.明天全体学生考英语，他将担任监考。

8 headquarters   

n.司令部，指挥部；总部，总店

参考例句：

• Several great guns from the headquarters are coming to see us today.总部的几个大人物今天要来看我们。
• The bank has its headquarters in Pairs.这家银行的总行在巴黎。