VOA标准英语2010年-Africa Plays Key Role in AIDS Vaccine
时间：2019-01-14 作者：英语课 分类：VOA标准英语2010年(十)月
While the most promising 1 AIDS vaccine 2 trial ever took place in Thailand, Africa is playing a major role in AIDS vaccine research. The International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI) works in partnership 3 with African countries in researching the virus which has infected tens of millions of people on the continent.
"The benefits for Africa are immense," says Gwynneth Stevens, director of the initiative's Clinical Laboratory Program for research and development in South Africa, "Today, IAVI supports and operates 11sophisticated clinical trial facilities in collaboration 4 with local scientists and institutions in five countries in Africa. So currently, the countries make a huge contribution to the data that is generated."
The five countries are Kenya, Uganda, South Africa, Rwanda and Zambia.
Stevens adds that the sites generate valuable information on HIV prevalence and incidence, immunology and safety, as well as on the development of disease.
Do or die
The only real way to stop the AIDS epidemic 5 is by developing a vaccine, Stevens says. There is no cure. While anti-retroviral drugs prolong lives, they still fail to rid the body completely of HIV.
She says while working toward that goal, IAVI is strengthening local and national health care systems:
"While we're en route to the development of a vaccine, there are huge contributions that NGOs like ourselves, make to Africa. For example, capacity building."
She points to state of the art laboratories which have improved the standard of health care in those regions, both by being available and by facilitating support for the clinical trials.
Scientists don't know when a successful AIDS vaccine might be found. However, Stevens points to the encouraging results of a trial conducted in Thailand last year in which almost a third of those participating were protected against HIV infection:
"While we can't pinpoint 6 the exact day and time I think the scientific breakthroughs over the last 18 months have really showed us that scientifically, the development of a preventative HIV vaccine is possible."
Trials in phases
The trials are conducted in three phases. The Thailand trial was a third phase experiment. Follow-up trials are planned, but the first one is a long way off. It's not expected to begin until 2014.
None of the vaccine candidates being studied in Africa have gotten that far. However, there are a number of promising candidates that will undergo further testing at the end of this year or in 2011. If they're successful, they could go to the last stage of testing – phase three trials – by 2014.
- The results of the experiments are very promising.实验的结果充满了希望。
- We're trying to bring along one or two promising young swimmers.我们正设法培养出一两名有前途的年轻游泳选手。
- 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。
- The company has gone into partnership with Swiss Bank Corporation.这家公司已经和瑞士银行公司建立合作关系。
- Martin has taken him into general partnership in his company.马丁已让他成为公司的普通合伙人。
- The two companies are working in close collaboration each other.这两家公司密切合作。
- He was shot for collaboration with the enemy.他因通敌而被枪毙了。
- 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。