International AIDS Day provides an opportunity to examine the efforts to combat the deadly virus that attacks the human immune system. In South Africa, whose 5.7 million HIV victims make it the most affected country in the world, officials and activists are assessing an ambitious campaign launched by the government on AIDS Day (Dec 1st) last year.
国际艾滋日提供了机会来检验抗击这种破坏人类免疫系统的致命病毒的努力的成果。在南非有570万人罹患艾滋病，这使得该国成为全世界感染艾滋病人数最多的国家，那里的官员和活动分子正在评估南非政府从去年艾滋日开始发动的一项雄心勃勃运动的成效。
South Africa's President Jacob Zuma one year ago announced what he called a new era in his government's fight against the HIV/AIDS virus.
南非总统祖玛一年前宣告他的政府向艾滋病毒所作的斗争进入他所说的新时代。
"To take our response a step forward, we are launching a massive campaign to mobilize all South Africans to get tested for HIV. Every South African should know his or her HIV status."
祖玛说：“为了在对艾滋病毒的回应方面向前迈进一步，我们正在发动一项大规模的运动，动员所有南非人都作艾滋病毒检验。”
Mr. Zuma said 15 million people would be tested for HIV in the next year, treatment programs would be expanded and a major prevention campaign would be launched.
祖玛说，明年会有1500万人作艾滋病毒检验，治疗方案也会扩展而且会启动一个重大的预防艾滋病运动。
He also called for a change of attitude toward the disease. "Let there be no more shame, no more blame, no more discrimination and no more stigma. Let the politicization and endless debates about HIV and AIDS stop," said Zuma.
他还呼吁人们改变对这种疾病的态度。祖玛说：“让我们不再感到耻辱，不再责怪、不再歧视、不再觉得有污点。让我们停止围绕艾滋病毒和艾滋病的政治化行动和无休止的辩论。”
This represented a dramatic shift in policy from the previous government (of Thabo Mbeki) which downplayed the seriousness of the epidemic. Critics said it caused hundreds of thousands of needless deaths.
这番评论标志不同于前南非政府的重大政策转变，前南非政府曾经低调处理艾滋病流行的严重性。批评人士说，这导致原来可以避免的成千上万病人的死亡。
AIDS activist Mark Heywood is deputy chairman of South Africa's National AIDS Council. He says nearly four million people have been tested in the past eight months and the number of people receiving treatment has doubled.
艾滋病活动分子海沃德是南非全国艾滋病委员会的副主席。他说，过去四个月来已经有近400万人作了艾滋病毒检验，而得到治疗的艾滋病人数字也增加了一倍。
"There are many, many positives. But having stressed the positives I also want to say that HIV remains a massive challenge for this country," he said.
海沃德说：“查出了许多许多呈阳性反应的人。但是在强调了检验出阳性反应的人后，我还要说的是：艾滋病毒仍然是这个国家的巨大问题。”
Heywood says HIV prevalence in South Africa has stabilized but deaths and new infection rates are largely unchanged. He blames this on a lack of resources, determination and planning.
他说，艾滋病在南非的流行趋势得到稳定，但是死亡率和新感染病例的比例基本上没有改变。他把这归咎于缺乏资源、决心和计划。
The United Nations issued a report last week saying that, nevertheless, progress is being made across Africa where two-thirds of all HIV victims live.
联合国上星期发出一份报告说，无论如何，非洲各地正在取得进展，而全世界三分之二的艾滋病人住在非洲。
The report said that in the past decade (2001 - 2009) new infections and deaths continent-wide had declined by 25 percent.
这份报告说，在过去十年来，非洲大陆新感染艾滋病的人数和死于艾滋病的人数都下降了百分之二十五。
South African Deputy-Health Minister Gwen Ramakgopa called it significant progress.
南非副卫生部长拉马侯帕称之为显著的进步。
"We are encouraged that particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, including in our country South Africa, we are seeing the dawn of a new era where we are starting to halt the epidemic and indeed we need to consolidate our efforts so that we can get into a phase of the reversal," she said.
拉马侯帕说：“尤其让我们感到鼓舞的是：在撒哈拉沙漠以南的非洲地区，其中包括我国南非，我们正在看到新时代的曙光，我们正开始制止这种疫症的流行，我们确实需要齐心协力，这样才能进入逆转艾滋病流行局面的阶段。”
But UNAIDS Regional Director Sheila Tlou said the battle was not over and warned against complacency.
但是联合艾滋病地区负责人希拉·特娄说，抗击艾滋病的斗争并没有完成，她警告人们不要自满。
"Even though the number of HIV infections is decreasing, there is still a need for prevention, because there are two new HIV infections for every one person that is put on HIV treatment," said Tlou.
希拉·特娄说：“即使艾滋病毒感染人数在减少，我们仍然需要预防，因为接受艾滋病治疗的人数，和新感染病例的人数是1比2。”
Heywood believes the global fight against HIV is at a pivotal point. "Many gains of the last decade have been driven by activism, by people with HIV standing, making themselves seen, making themselves heard, by HIV being cast as a moral issue globally, as an issue of inequality. But I fear that approach has run out of steam, not that it has run out of legitimacy," he said.
海沃德认为，全球抗击艾滋病的斗争正处于关键时刻。海沃德说：“过去十年中的许多进展是在有关运动的驱使下取得的，是由于感染艾滋病毒的人敢于站出来亮相、大胆执言，也由于艾滋病毒的问题成为全球性的道德问题、成为不公平待遇的问题。但是我担心那种方式方法尽管合理合法却正在失去动力。”
Activists say global politics and economics are more complex now and they fear a loss of momentum and political commitment along with a decline in funds due to the ongoing financial crisis.
艾滋病活动人士说，如今全球政治和经济状况都比较复杂，他们担忧会失去动力和政治努力承诺，同时也由于金融危机而失去资金。 |