IN THE NEWS - AIDS Conference in Bangkok

IN THE NEWS - AIDS Conference in Bangkok
By Cynthia Kirk

Broadcast: Saturday, July 17, 2004

This is Steve Ember with In the News, in VOA Special English.

The fifteenth International AIDS Conference ended Friday in Bangkok. The conference takes place every two years. It is the biggest gathering¹ for scientists, AIDS activists², policymakers and people with H.I.V. and AIDS. Delegates³ from more than one hundred countries attended the meeting in Thailand. They shared information and urged governments to do more to fight the disease⁴.

The last AIDS conference took place in Barcelona, Spain, in two-thousand-two. Since then, six million people with AIDS have died. Ten million more people have become infected. And experts say the spread of H.I.V. shows no signs of slowing.

 
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The United Nations estimates⁶ that thirty-eight million people are infected with the virus that causes AIDS. Most are in developing countries in Africa and Asia. But health officials say these countries do not get enough money to fight the disease. The World Health Organization says AIDS drugs are reaching only about seven percent of people in developing countries who need them.

In recent years, many big drug companies have reduced the prices of antiretroviral drugs, which suppress⁷ the virus. They also have given some away free. But drugs made by American and European companies can cost as much as five thousand dollars a year. Countries like India, Thailand and Brazil make low-cost versions⁸ of AIDS drugs. But supplies are limited.

During the conference, French officials said American trade policies aim to prevent more countries from making low-cost copies. An American official denied that.

Delegates in Bangkok urged the United States and Europe to give more money to U.N. efforts to fight AIDS. But the Bush administration⁹ has its own five-year plan to spend fifteen thousand million dollars on prevention and treatment.

This plan is similar to one in Uganda. But some delegates said the plan puts too much importance on urging people not to have sex until marriage. The Bush administration says just urging people to use condoms will not stop the spread of H.I.V.

Experts at the International AIDS Conference called for more money to research new ways to prevent the spread of the virus. They discussed some methods being tested for women, such as chemicals that would kill H.I.V. during sex.

Health officials say almost half of all people currently¹⁰ infected with H.I.V. are women. But, in many areas, infection rates are rising much faster among women than among men. Scientists say development of a vaccine¹¹ to prevent infection is still years away.

During the conference this week in Thailand, there were also calls for new ways to get more people tested for H.I.V. And former South African President Nelson Mandela discussed the need to fight tuberculosis¹² as well. This sickness often kills people with AIDS, since AIDS robs people of their natural defenses against disease.

In the News, in VOA Special English, was written by Cynthia Kirk. This is Steve Ember.

1 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。

2 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》

3 delegates   

代表，代表团成员( delegate的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The conference was attended by delegates from 56 countries. 此次会议有来自56个国家的代表出席。
• Delegates expressed strong opposition to the plans. 代表强烈反对这些计划。

4 disease   

n.疾病，弊端

参考例句：

• The doctors are trying to stamp out the disease.医生正在尽力消灭这种疾病。
• He fought against the disease for a long time.他同疾病做了长时间的斗争。

5 graphic   

adj.生动的，形象的，绘画的，文字的，图表的

参考例句：

• The book gave a graphic description of the war.这本书生动地描述了战争的情况。
• Distinguish important text items in lists with graphic icons.用图标来区分重要的文本项。

6 estimates   

估计

参考例句：

• Unofficial estimates put the figure at over two million. 非官方的估计数字为200万以上。
• We got estimates from three different contractors before accepting the lowest. 我们得到3个承包商的报价后，接受了最低的报价。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 suppress   

vt.压制，镇压，查禁，抑制，阻止

参考例句：

• He continued to suppress the people and serve the imperialists.他继续镇压人民，为帝国主义效劳。
• She was struggling to suppress her sobs.她拼命不让自己哭出来。

8 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》

9 administration   

n.经营，管理；行政，行政机关，管理部门

参考例句：

• Who is in charge of the administration of your company?你们公司的行政工作由谁负责？
• The teachers are responsible to the school administration.教师向学校行政负责。

10 currently   

adv.通常地，普遍地，当前

参考例句：

• Currently it is not possible to reconcile this conflicting evidence.当前还未有可能去解释这一矛盾的例证。
• Our contracts are currently under review.我们的合同正在复查。

11 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。

12 tuberculosis   

n.结核病，肺结核

参考例句：

• People used to go to special health spring to recover from tuberculosis.人们常去温泉疗养胜地治疗肺结核。
• Tuberculosis is a curable disease.肺结核是一种可治愈的病。