2006年VOA标准英语-Bill Clinton Announces Deal for Low-Cost Pediat

By Anjana Pasricha
New Delhi
30 November 2006

Former U.S. President Bill Clinton's foundation has negotiated with Indian drug companies to make affordable¹ treatment available to thousands of children afflicted² with the AIDS virus. Anjana Pasricha reports for VOA from New Delhi, where Mr. Clinton made the announcement.

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Former President Clinton, right, and Indian Congress Party President Sonia Gandhi during inauguration of National Pediatric HIV/AIDS Initiative in New Delhi, 30 Nov 2006

Mr. Clinton appeared at a high-profile gathering⁴ at a crowded children's hospital in New Delhi Thursday. He said that two drug companies will supply anti-retroviral drugs to children at prices nearly 50 percent cheaper than the lowest current rates.

These drugs, to be produced by Indian pharmaceutical⁵ companies Ranbaxy and Cipla, could cost as little as 16 cents a day. They will help to treat an additional 100,000 HIV-positive children in 62 developing countries, starting next year.

Mr. Clinton called it a great day, but said there is a long way to go. He said the world has made progress in expanding HIV/AIDS treatment to adults, but children have been left behind. Currently, only one in 10 children in need of such treatment is getting it.

The Clinton Foundation says it will provide $15 million to subsidize the program. The international drug-buying facility called UNITAID, set up by France, Britain, Norway, Brazil and Chile, will give another $35 million. The drugs will be distributed through the public health systems of developing countries.

The new program will help provide drugs for 10,000 children in India, the country with the largest number of people afflicted with the AIDS virus.

I.S. Gilada heads the People's Health Association, is one of the pioneers in AIDS prevention in India. He says there are as many as 150,000 children in India afflicted with the AIDS virus, and most do not get treatment.

"It is critical to reach children," said Gilada. "If you save a child with HIV infection, you are saving 62 years of average life, so saving the life of the child is more important."

The Clinton Foundation earlier negotiated a reduction in the price of anti-AIDS drugs for adults with the same drug companies that will now provide cheaper drugs for children. This has helped governments in many developing countries provide affordable treatment to those in need of it.

The foundation was set up in 2002 to help poor countries cope with the spread of AIDS.

From New Delhi, Mr. Clinton is to travel to southern India, to see progress made in rehabilitating⁶ victims of the tsunami⁷ that swept the Indian Ocean in December 2004.

1 affordable   

adj.支付得起的，不太昂贵的

参考例句：

• The rent for the four-roomed house is affordable.四居室房屋的房租付得起。
• There are few affordable apartments in big cities.在大城市中没有几所公寓是便宜的。

2 afflicted   

使受痛苦，折磨( afflict的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• About 40% of the country's population is afflicted with the disease. 全国40%左右的人口患有这种疾病。
• A terrible restlessness that was like to hunger afflicted Martin Eden. 一阵可怕的、跟饥饿差不多的不安情绪折磨着马丁·伊登。

3 inauguration   

n.开幕、就职典礼

参考例句：

• The inauguration of a President of the United States takes place on January 20.美国总统的就职典礼于一月二十日举行。
• Three celebrated tenors sang at the president's inauguration.3位著名的男高音歌手在总统就职仪式上演唱。

4 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

5 pharmaceutical   

adj.药学的，药物的；药用的，药剂师的

参考例句：

• She has donated money to establish a pharmaceutical laboratory.她捐款成立了一个药剂实验室。
• We are engaged in a legal tussle with a large pharmaceutical company.我们正同一家大制药公司闹法律纠纷。

6 rehabilitating   

改造（罪犯等）( rehabilitate的现在分词 )； 使恢复正常生活； 使恢复原状； 修复

参考例句：

• a unit for rehabilitating drug addicts 帮助吸毒者恢复正常生活的机构
• She was more concerned about protecting the public than rehabilitating the criminal. 她比较关心保护百姓，而不大关心改造罪犯。

7 tsunami   

n.海啸

参考例句：

• Powerful quake sparks tsunami warning in Japan.大地震触发了日本的海啸预警。
• Coastlines all around the Indian Ocean inundated by a huge tsunami.大海啸把印度洋沿岸地区都淹没了。