HEALTH REPORT - AIDS Scientists Meet in Brazil

HEALTH REPORT - AIDS Scientists Meet in Brazil
By Cynthia Kirk

Broadcast: Wednesday, August 03, 2005

I'm Faith Lapidus with the VOA Special English Health Report.

 
 

Scientists from more than one hundred countries met in Brazil last week for a conference of the International AIDS Society. Three days of meetings took place in Rio de Janeiro to discuss recent findings¹.

There was a lot of interest in a study of the relationship between male circumcision and H.I.V. H.I.V. is the virus that causes AIDS. The study supports the idea that removing the loose skin covering the tip of the penis might help protect men from the virus. The study took place in South Africa with French support.

Experts say H.I.V. rates in Africa and Southeast Asia are lower in populations where males are traditionally circumcised. But the United Nations AIDS program notes that cultural and social influences, not just biology, could play a part. It says more study is needed. Two American-supported studies are taking place in Uganda and Kenya.

AIDS is acquired immunodeficiency syndrome². The body loses its defenses against deadly infections. Researchers say there were around five million new cases and three million deaths last year.

An estimated³ forty million people are infected with H.I.V. The virus is spread through bodily fluids⁴. There is no cure, but medicines can slow the effects.

The U.N. AIDS program says Brazil is the first developing country to guarantee free treatment for H.I.V. The government supplies costly⁵ H.I.V. drugs as well as lower-cost versions⁶ made by public and private manufacturers⁷. Experts say Brazil's efforts are helping⁸ AIDS patients to live longer. Brazil is also considered a leader in H.I.V. testing campaigns and research into a vaccine⁹ to prevent infection.

The infection rate in Brazil is estimated at seven-tenths of one percent of adults.

Southern Africa has the highest H.I.V. rates. Caribbean nations have the second highest. But East and Central Asia and Central Europe have had the biggest increases in the past ten years.

The U.N. AIDS program says only about fifteen percent of people in developing countries are on AIDS medicines.

Conference organizers praised Brazil as an example for developing countries. The World Bank expected Brazil to have one million two hundred thousand people with H.I.V. by the year two thousand. Yet, with aggressive prevention and treatment efforts, Brazil says it has only half that many cases.

This VOA Special English Health Report was written by Cynthia Kirk.  I'm Faith Lapidus.

1 findings   

n.发现物( finding的名词复数 )；调查（或研究）的结果；（陪审团的）裁决

参考例句：

• It behoves us to study these findings carefully. 我们理应认真研究这些发现。
• Their findings have been widely disseminated . 他们的研究成果已经广为传播。

2 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。

3 estimated   

adj．根据估计的

参考例句：

• She estimated the breadth of the lake to be 500 metres. 她估计湖面大约有500米宽。
• The man estimated for the repair of the car. 那人估算了修理汽车的费用。

4 fluids   

n.液体，流体( fluid的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• He is taking cold fluids. 他正在喝冷饮。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• You can contract Aids if your bodily fluids come into contact with the bodily fluids of someone else who is infected with HIV. 如果你的体液与染有HIV者的体液接触，你就会染上艾滋病。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 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。

6 versions   

n.译本( version的名词复数 )；版本；（个人对事件的）描述；（原物的）变体

参考例句：

• There are two versions of the game, a long one and a short one. 这游戏有两个版本，一长一短。
• When both versions of the story were collated,major discrepancies were found. 在将这个故事的两个版本对照后，找出了主要的不符之处。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 manufacturers   

制造商，制造厂( manufacturer的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The manufacturers in some countries dumped their surplus commodities abroad. 一些国家的制造商向国外倾销过剩产品。
• Colour TV has been more aggressively promoted as more manufacturers have joined the competition. 由于更多的厂商参与竞争，推销彩色电视机的宣传更为激烈了。

8 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

9 vaccine   

n.牛痘苗，疫苗；adj.牛痘的，疫苗的

参考例句：

• The polio vaccine has saved millions of lives.脊髓灰质炎疫苗挽救了数以百万计的生命。
• She takes a vaccine against influenza every fall.她每年秋季接种流感疫苗。