普通高中课程标准实验教科书英语必修高二上选修6 Unit 3 A healthy life-Using Language
SUCCESSFUL ALDS PROGRAMME IN YUNNAN
An AIDS awareness programme started by the Chinese Red Cross in Yunnan province six years ago has proved so successful that it is now running in several other provinces, including Xinjiang, Guangxi, Hainan, Fujian and Jilin.
As well as providing care and support for AIDS sufferers, the programme trains young people to teach others about HIV/AIDS. These volunteers hold two-day classes to teach people of similar age and background about the virus and its links to drug use and sexual practices. They work with students, drug users, people who work in the entertainment business and others who may be at risk of becoming infected by the virus.
Programme organisers believe that the programme is an extremely effective way of making sure that people learn the facts about HIV/AIDS because the workshops are given by people just like them. The director of the programme said that, although people knew about HIV/AIDS and how it was spread, they often thought it had nothing to do with their own life. This may have been true in the past, when HIV/AIDS was found mainly among drug users and those who had become infected through careless blood transfusion practices. However, today, the number of young people becoming infected through sexual activity is increasing and it is important to handle this issue.
The Chinese government predicts that unless action is taken immediately, as many as 10 million people could be infected with HIV/ AIDS in China by the year 2010.
In June 2001, as part of their response to this problem, the Chinese central government announced a five-year plan for dealing with the spread of the disease. This plan focuses on better education about the virus, a national system to report cases of the disease and better practices for collecting blood.
