VOA标准英语2012--Spearheading the Fight against HIV/AIDS

 

 

Spearheading the Fight against HIV/AIDS

A top official at UNAIDS says in the early days of the epidemic¹ leaders emerged not from the highest levels of government, but from the grassroots level where the disease had struck the hardest. Paul De Lay spoke² at the 19th International AIDS Conference in Washington.

The UNAIDS official says when the epidemic began more than 30 years ago, individuals took the lead to care for the sick and dying. De Lay said they took the lead in getting the world to listen.

“We have to recognize that from the beginning of this epidemic – and it’s still true today – that as we’ve looked to our traditional leaders – political leaders, religious leaders, presidents, prime ministers – we’ve often seen a failure to respond to the epidemic the way it should have been responded to. And instead, we’ve had to look to nontraditional leaders. Now that’s changing. But I still something that I think is the most powerful part of the AIDS response,” he said.

Ordinary people did extraordinary things without resources and little information about the disease.

“They’ve come from the youth. They’ve come from faith-based organizations. They’ve come from communities that are affected³. People living with HIV. And the workplace. And when you look back and you think of Noerine Kaleeba in Uganda, Zackie Achmet in South Africa, Larry Kramer in New York. They were our leaders. They were our leaders in a time of real need,” he said.

He said UNAIDS believes it’s important to continue to nurture⁴, develop and support leaders.

“There are a couple of things that all leaders, all advocates, all champions truly need. First of all, they need a clear vision that’s actionable. That’s measureable. And something that they can provide a continuity for passion, for dialogue, for research. That’s critical. The other thing that a leader needs for this epidemic is a good political sense. Who they need to talk to and what’s the right time to do that talking,” said De Lay.

He added leaders need to ask two important questions: What drives risk? And what blocks access to services? The answers to those questions, he says, drive the epidemic.

“We also have to have a ruthless respect for human rights because that is the core of the response. The technologies will only take us so far. And then finally, I think that leaders need to set the direction. They need to frame the dialogues and they’re going to have to be courageous,” he said.

Despite all the scientific advances, De Lay said, “The HIV/AIDS “epidemic will always require unique courage to respond to all aspects of the response.”

 

1 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。

2 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

3 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

4 nurture   

n.养育，照顾，教育；滋养，营养品；vt.养育，给与营养物，教养，扶持

参考例句：

• The tree grows well in his nurture.在他的培育下这棵树长得很好。
• The two sisters had received very different nurture.这俩个姊妹接受过极不同的教育。