2006年VOA标准英语-US First Lady Donates AIDS Drugs in Nigeri

By Scott Stearns
Gwagwalada, Nigeria
18 January 2006

U.S. First Lady Laura Bush is in Nigeria where she has announced new assistance for efforts to help prevent the spread of AIDS and treat those already infected. 

Laura Bush, center, holds hands with Agnes Achov, 34, left, and Toyin Yomi, 26, who are both HIV-positive mothers  
  
Mrs. Bush came to St. Mary's Catholic¹ Hospital outside the capital, Abuja, to meet with health-care workers and HIV positive patients.

She announced $163 million in new funding to stop the spread of AIDS in a nation where more than five percent of the adult population is HIV positive and an estimated 300,000 people have already died from the disease.

Mrs. Bush also brought antiretroviral drugs to St. Mary's to help strengthen its efforts to prevent mother-to-child transmission².

Faith Uche has been HIV positive since 2003. But with St. Mary's help both of her children were born HIV negative. She told Mrs. Bush that she was scared when she first found out that she was infected, afraid that she might die the next day.

Instead, she and her husband, Sani, who is HIV negative, are part of a counseling³ group for couples facing the disease.

"We are in the support group. When we come here, they encourage us," she explained. " Actually, when you notice that you are positive, you always lose hope. But due to how they are taking care of us, encouraging us, we feel happy."

Mrs. Bush thanked Faith Uche for sharing her story and her husband for being a good example for Nigerian men.

"It's really important for people who are HIV positive to reach out, to let other people know they can be tested, they can find out, they can still live a life, a positive life and a happy life," she said. "That's the message we need to get out around the world, really, to everyone who might be HIV positive and to people who never will be HIV positive but need to know that people who are positive can live lives of contribution to their world and their society."

Mrs. Bush said preventing mother-to-child transmission is particularly important in combating⁴ the disease as it protects the next generation.

U.S. support for St. Mary's Hospital includes $500,000 for counseling, testing, antiretroviral therapy and home-based care.

1 catholic   

adj.天主教的；n.天主教徒

参考例句：

• The Pope is the supreme leader of the Roman Catholic Church.教皇是罗马天主教的最高领袖。
• She was a devoutly Catholic.她是一个虔诚地天主教徒。

2 transmission   

n.播送，发射，传送，传递，传染

参考例句：

• When the transmission is good,foreign stations can be heard.在传送情况良好时，以收到外国电台。
• The letter was delayed in transmission.这封信在传递中被耽误了。

3 counseling   

n.咨询服务

参考例句：

• A multimillionaire media magnate has shocked his employees with his candor by telling them all that he's putting his business affairs on hold to enter an alcoholism-counseling program. 一位身份数百万的媒体大亨，坦诚地告诉他全体员工他将暂时搁置他的事业以便参加戒酒班，令员工大为惊愕。
• She will need medical help and counseling to overcome the tragedy. 她将需要医疗帮助和心理咨询来平复这场悲剧。

4 combating   

v.与…战斗( combat的现在分词 )；与…斗争；防止；减轻

参考例句：

• Death seemed combating with life. 死亡似乎正在和命运作战。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He has put his heart and soul into the task of combating the drought. 为了抗旱，他可没少操心。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》