VOA常速英语2007-Rwanda Endorses Male Circumcision to Help Stem H

By Noel King
Kigali
02 October 2007

Rwanda's Ministry¹ of Health has announced plans to endorse² male circumcision as a measure to help stem the spread of HIV/AIDS in the country, a health official said on Tuesday. Noel King has more in this report from Kigali.

Rwanda announced plans to urge male circumcision after seeing encouraging results in medical studies conducted in South Africa and Uganda. The studies suggest a direct link between circumcision and lower rates of transmission of the disease.

Some 190,000 people in Rwanda , or about 3 percent of the population, are infected with HIV/AIDS.

Fewer than twenty percent of Rwandan men are currently circumcised.

Dr. Anita Asiimwe, managing director of the Center for the Treatment and Research of AIDS at Rwanda 's Ministry of Health, tells VOA that circumcision will be promoted via a nationwide education campaign.

"We have decided³ to take up male circumcision as another measure to use in HIV prevention," she said. "It's not that male circumcision is going to take over. Rather it is coming in to compliment what we have been enforcing."

 

Asiimwe says that the push for male circumcision is intended to bolster⁴, not replace, other measures, including campaigns aimed at urging abstinence and condom use.

The United Nations World Health Organization says studies conducted in South Africa , Uganda and Kenya indicate male circumcision can slash⁵ rates of transmission of HIV/AIDS by up to 60 percent.

Rwanda is known for its aggressive approach to combating the disease.

In July, Rwanda became the first country in the world to take advantage of a World Health Organization waiver, which allows poor nations to bypass patent laws and import generic⁶ HIV/AIDS medications or manufacture the medicines domestically.

Officials in Rwanda say they intend to import generic anti-retroviral drugs made by Toronto-based drug-maker Atopex Inc. Health officials are currently conducting studies on the suitability of the drugs for public use.

Rwanda's three percent infection rate is relatively⁷ low when compared to neighboring nations. But health officials say more challenges lie ahead.

 

Formerly⁸ displaced Rwandans who have recently returned from neighboring Tanzania have brought high rates of the disease.

The impact on Rwanda of refugees fleeing violence in neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo is still unclear.

1 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。

2 endorse   

vt.(支票、汇票等)背书，背署；批注；同意

参考例句：

• No one is foolish enough to endorse it.没有哪个人会傻得赞成它。
• I fully endorse your opinions on this subject.我完全拥护你对此课题的主张。

3 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

4 bolster   

n.枕垫；v.支持，鼓励

参考例句：

• The high interest rates helped to bolster up the economy.高利率使经济更稳健。
• He tried to bolster up their morale.他尽力鼓舞他们的士气。

5 slash   

vi.大幅度削减；vt.猛砍，尖锐抨击，大幅减少；n.猛砍，斜线，长切口，衣衩

参考例句：

• The shop plans to slash fur prices after Spring Festival.该店计划在春节之后把皮货降价。
• Don't slash your horse in that cruel way.不要那样残忍地鞭打你的马。

6 generic   

adj.一般的，普通的，共有的

参考例句：

• I usually buy generic clothes instead of name brands.我通常买普通的衣服，不买名牌。
• The generic woman appears to have an extraordinary faculty for swallowing the individual.一般妇女在婚后似乎有特别突出的抑制个性的能力。

7 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。

8 formerly   

adv.从前，以前

参考例句：

• We now enjoy these comforts of which formerly we had only heard.我们现在享受到了过去只是听说过的那些舒适条件。
• This boat was formerly used on the rivers of China.这船从前航行在中国内河里。