2006年VOA标准英语-Uganda's AIDS Epidemic Abates, but Risk Remains

By Carolyn Weaver¹
Uganda
31 May 2006
 
watch Uganda and AIDS report

Experts say Ugandan women and children remain at special risk of HIV infection  
  
Uganda's program promoting abstinence, being faithful in marriage and condom use is often credited with arresting the spread of HIV-AIDS in that country. But Ugandan officials and activists³ say the ABC program, as it's called, isn't a cure-all. There are still huge challenges in controlling and preventing AIDS, such as providing antiretroviral drugs to all in need -- and preventing the rise of drug resistance, when microbes evolve defenses that render medicines powerless.

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Uganda has been a case study for slowing the AIDS epidemic⁴, but AIDS control chief Dr. Elizabeth Madraa says there are signs the epidemic may no longer be declining. She says married women remain especially vulnerable to infection by unfaithful husbands.

 

 
Elizabeth Madraa is Uganda's AIDS control chief
  

"Culture-wise, it's very difficult to promote condom use in marriage,” Dr. Madraa said in an interview at the health ministry⁵ in Kampala, “and that's the challenge we really do have."

 

Ugandan AIDS activist² Beatrice Were  
  

Ugandan AIDS activist Beatrice Were agrees. She was infected by her first husband, who has since died. Ms.Were notes that African women often lack control over sex in marriage. Marital⁶ rape⁷, for example, is not recognized as a crime in Uganda. "From my own experience, I abstained⁸, and when I was married, I was faithful to my spouse⁹, but it didn't protect me from HIV.” Ms. Were said. “The school of thought that believes in abstinence and faithfulness in marriage ignores the fact that HIV has a lot to do with gender¹⁰ and power relations."

 

 
AIDS researcher Francis Mmiro of Makerere University
  

Makerere University medical professor Francis Mmiro says the second largest route of HIV infection in Uganda is from mothers to children: prenatally, during delivery, and through breastfeeding. Dr. Mmiro helped invent one of the most effective protocols¹¹ for preventing mother-to-child transmission in pregnant and nursing women – known as PMTCT -- using a drug called nevirapine.  "Our objective was to find something cheap, simple and effective,” he says, noting that while better drugs have since been developed, even now nevirapine remains¹² the one that Uganda can afford.

He says the program has cut mother-to-child transmission in Uganda half, to fewer than 15 percent of babies born to HIV-infected mothers. Critics of nevirapine note it is toxic¹³, but Dr. Mmiro says that isn't true when it's used as a one-time preventative. "Nevirapine as used for PMTCT doesn't provide any toxicity¹⁴, because it's just a single dose, a single tablet."

For those needing ongoing¹⁵ drug treatment, Dr. Elizabeth Madraa says social support is also important. “We have a kind of organization, of people living with HIV and AIDS, who came voluntarily and trained the relatives to become what they call treatment supporter or buddies,” she says. “So, if you have been initiated¹⁶ on treatment, you can come with your relative, who sees you through the first weeks to comfort you during that reaction, because some drugs are very strong, at the beginning they feel so bad, but if there's somebody who's gone through it is there to tell you, 'that's how I felt, after some time I felt better,' at least you're given that hope." 

Dr. Madraa says Uganda's goal is to provide free antiretroviral drugs for every person in need. Currently they're reaching 38 percent of the 156,000 Ugandans who need them. But she adds that prescribing practices must be tightly regulated as part of the effort to reduce the chances of anti-microbial resistance, virus strains that become resistant¹⁷ to the medication.

1 weaver   

n.织布工；编织者

参考例句：

• She was a fast weaver and the cloth was very good.她织布织得很快，而且布的质量很好。
• The eager weaver did not notice my confusion.热心的纺织工人没有注意到我的狼狈相。

2 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。

3 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 epidemic   

n.流行病；盛行；adj.流行性的，流传极广的

参考例句：

• That kind of epidemic disease has long been stamped out.那种传染病早已绝迹。
• The authorities tried to localise the epidemic.当局试图把流行病限制在局部范围。

5 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

6 marital   

adj.婚姻的，夫妻的

参考例句：

• Her son had no marital problems.她的儿子没有婚姻问题。
• I regret getting involved with my daughter's marital problems;all its done is to bring trouble about my ears.我后悔干涉我女儿的婚姻问题, 现在我所做的一切将给我带来无穷的烦恼。

7 rape   

n.抢夺，掠夺，强奸；vt.掠夺，抢夺，强奸

参考例句：

• The rape of the countryside had a profound ravage on them.对乡村的掠夺给他们造成严重创伤。
• He was brought to court and charged with rape.他被带到法庭并被指控犯有强奸罪。

8 abstained   

v.戒（尤指酒），戒除( abstain的过去式和过去分词 )；弃权（不投票）

参考例句：

• Ten people voted in favour, five against and two abstained. 十人投票赞成，五人反对，两人弃权。
• They collectively abstained (from voting) in the elections for local councilors. 他们在地方议会议员选举中集体弃权。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 spouse   

n.配偶(指夫或妻)

参考例句：

• Her spouse will come to see her on Sunday.她的丈夫星期天要来看她。
• What is the best way to keep your spouse happy in the marriage?在婚姻中保持配偶幸福的最好方法是什么？

10 gender   

n.（生理上的）性，（名词、代词等的）性

参考例句：

• French differs from English in having gender for all nouns.法语不同于英语，所有的名词都有性。
• Women are sometimes denied opportunities solely because of their gender.妇女有时仅仅因为性别而无法获得种种机会。

11 protocols   

n.礼仪( protocol的名词复数 )；（外交条约的）草案；（数据传递的）协议；科学实验报告（或计划）

参考例句：

• There are also protocols on the testing of nuclear weapons. 也有关于核武器试验的协议。 来自辞典例句
• Hardware components and software design of network transport protocols are separately introduced. 介绍系统硬件组成及网络传输协议的软件设计。 来自互联网

12 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

13 toxic   

adj.有毒的，因中毒引起的

参考例句：

• The factory had accidentally released a quantity of toxic waste into the sea.这家工厂意外泄漏大量有毒废物到海中。
• There is a risk that toxic chemicals might be blasted into the atmosphere.爆炸后有毒化学物质可能会进入大气层。

14 toxicity   

n.毒性，毒力

参考例句：

• The hoarse grunt or squeal is characteristic of toxicity.嘶哑的哼声和叫声是中毒的特征。
• Dieldrin is related to aldrin,and its toxicity to earthworms is similar.狄氏剂与艾氏剂有关，对蚯蚓的毒性是相似的。

15 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

16 initiated   

n. 创始人 adj. 新加入的 vt. 开始，创始，启蒙，介绍加入

参考例句：

• He has not yet been thoroughly initiated into the mysteries of computers. 他对计算机的奥秘尚未入门。
• The artist initiated the girl into the art world in France. 这个艺术家介绍这个女孩加入巴黎艺术界。

17 resistant   

adj.(to)抵抗的，有抵抗力的

参考例句：

• Many pests are resistant to the insecticide.许多害虫对这种杀虫剂有抵抗力。
• They imposed their government by force on the resistant population.他们以武力把自己的统治强加在持反抗态度的人民头上。