VOA标准英语2009年-South African President Announces Expa

South Africa's president says his government will expand testing and treatment for the HIV/AIDS virus that afflicts¹ an estimated 5.7 million people in his country.

Scott Bobb | Johannesburg 01 December 2009

South African President Jacob Zuma, second from left, at a World AIDS Day event in Pretoria, South Africa, Tuesday, 1 Dec 2009

South Africa's president says his government will expand testing and treatment for the HIV/AIDS virus that afflicts an estimated 5.7 million people in his country. The announcement was made at a ceremony marking World AIDS Day. 

South African President Jacob Zuma announced what he called a new era in the fight against HIV/AIDS in his country, which is seen by many as the epicenter of the epidemic².

"Let there be no more shame, no more blame, no more discrimination and no more stigma³.  Let the politicization and endless debates about HIV and AIDS stop," Mr. Zuma said.

Speaking at ceremonies in Pretoria marking World AIDS Day, Mr. Zuma announced a major expansion of testing and treatment for HIV/AIDS victims.

An estimated 1,000 people die in South Africa each day from the virus and another 1,000 new victims are infected.  An estimated 10 percent of the total population is infected.  Infection rates for young women and pregnant mothers reach as high as 32 percent.  

Mr. Zuma said that by next April all children under one year of age who tested positive for HIV would receive treatment.

Pregnant women and people with both HIV and Tuberculosis⁴ will receive treatment much earlier than before.  International health groups say earlier treatment can lengthen⁵ the lives of HIV sufferers.

About 800,000 South Africans receive treatments of anti-retroviral drugs and an estimated one million more need treatment.  The president's initiative will add further pressure to the already over-extended HIV treatment program.

South African health officials recently announced they would be unable to meet the goal of delivering treatment to 80 percent of those needing it because they had run out of funds.

The U.S. Embassy announced at the ceremony that it would donate $120 million during the next two years to help meet this need.  A statement said this was in addition to the $575 million already budgeted next year for the fight against HIV/AIDS in South Africa.

Mr. Zuma also announced a new campaign to prevent the spread of HIV.

"We must intensify⁶ our prevention efforts if we are to turn off the tap of new HIV and TB infections.  Prevention is our most powerful and effective weapon," Mr. Zuma said.

He urged people to take responsibility for their health and that of their loved ones, to practice safe sex and to get tested.

Mr. Zuma said he had made plans to be tested for HIV.  Many senior officials and media celebrities⁷ are doing the same.

The new initiative was praised by HIV/AIDS activists⁸ in South Africa as well as by the head of the United Nations AIDS agency who attended the ceremony.

 

1 afflicts   

使受痛苦，折磨( afflict的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Level 3-Afflicts a target with the Curse of the Silent. 三级-用静默诅咒折磨一个目标。
• Level 1-Afflicts a target with the Curse of the Silent. 一级-用静默诅咒折磨一个目标。

2 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。

3 stigma   

n.耻辱，污名；(花的)柱头

参考例句：

• Being an unmarried mother used to carry a social stigma.做未婚母亲在社会上曾是不光彩的事。
• The stigma of losing weighed heavily on the team.失败的耻辱让整个队伍压力沉重。

4 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。

5 lengthen   

vt.使伸长，延长

参考例句：

• He asked the tailor to lengthen his coat.他请裁缝把他的外衣放长些。
• The teacher told her to lengthen her paper out.老师让她把论文加长。

6 intensify   

vt.加强；变强；加剧

参考例句：

• We must intensify our educational work among our own troops.我们必须加强自己部队的教育工作。
• They were ordered to intensify their patrols to protect our air space.他们奉命加强巡逻，保卫我国的领空。

7 celebrities   

n.（尤指娱乐界的）名人( celebrity的名词复数 )；名流；名声；名誉

参考例句：

• He only invited A-list celebrities to his parties. 他只邀请头等名流参加他的聚会。
• a TV chat show full of B-list celebrities 由众多二流人物参加的电视访谈节目

8 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》