VOA标准英语2010年-Female Condoms Unpopular Among Liberia

Some AIDS workers in Liberia say the way to stem the country's HIV rate is to urge women to wear female condoms. But others argue the female condom is impractical¹, and broader HIV/AIDS education is needed.

As a health worker at an HIV/AIDS clinic in Monrovia, Salome Yargomah says she sometimes stands outside her clinic and tries to distribute female condoms for free. She says many of the women refuse to take the condoms, often because they do not know how to use them.

"Some of them have never seen it," Yargomah said. "So I think we need to educate a lot of people. The condoms are available. But some people are just maybe not giving them out. Or a lot of promo has not been made of it. Because I know that we've got female condoms here and we've been trying to give them out to some women."

A recent Liberia Demographic and Health Survey concluded that Liberia's HIV rate stands at 1.5 percent among the general population. But prevalence is slightly higher among women, than men. Women retain a 1.8 percent infection rate, while 1.2 percent of men have HIV.

Yargomah says the higher infection rate among women is partially² due to their refusal to wear the female condom.

"Take for instance if a man says to you, 'I'm not using it,' a woman should have the right to insert a female condom that will allow her to have safe sex and she's not going to be at risk," she added.

But many Liberian women say the female condoms are impractical. Twenty-seven-year old Milta Snowe says she will never wear one.

I hope another strategy will be put in place to fight HIV, but in my view, the female condom is an unfriendly method," said Snowe.

As Executive Director for Liberia Anti Aids Organization, Larry Sando disagreed that the spread of HIV is due to women's failure to wear female condoms.

"I don't think it's because most of the women have not decided³ to use the female condom is the reason for which HIV is being transmitted from one person to another," Sando said. "What I think it's the lack of education and of this disease could be one of the reasons for which HIV is being transmitted."

Experts from the Liberia Demographic and Health Survey warn that Liberia needs to increase the intensity⁴ and coverage⁵ of HIV prevention and care efforts to avert⁶ an epidemic⁷ like those that have occurred in other parts of the continent.

1 impractical   

adj.不现实的，不实用的，不切实际的

参考例句：

• He was hopelessly impractical when it came to planning new projects.一到规划新项目，他就完全没有了实际操作的能力。
• An entirely rigid system is impractical.一套完全死板的体制是不实际的。

2 partially   

adv.部分地，从某些方面讲

参考例句：

• The door was partially concealed by the drapes.门有一部分被门帘遮住了。
• The police managed to restore calm and the curfew was partially lifted.警方设法恢复了平静，宵禁部分解除。

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 intensity   

n.强烈，剧烈；强度；烈度

参考例句：

• I didn't realize the intensity of people's feelings on this issue.我没有意识到这一问题能引起群情激奋。
• The strike is growing in intensity.罢工日益加剧。

5 coverage   

n.报导，保险范围，保险额，范围，覆盖

参考例句：

• There's little coverage of foreign news in the newspaper.报纸上几乎没有国外新闻报道。
• This is an insurance policy with extensive coverage.这是一项承保范围广泛的保险。

6 avert   

v.防止，避免；转移(目光、注意力等)

参考例句：

• He managed to avert suspicion.他设法避嫌。
• I would do what I could to avert it.我会尽力去避免发生这种情况。

7 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。