VOA慢速英語：南非開展艾滋病疫苗臨床試驗

Thursday is World AIDS Day.
星期四是世界艾滋病日。
For almost 30 years, the United Nations has marked World AIDS Day on December 1.
聯(lián)合國近30年來都在12月1日紀念世界艾滋病日。
People often note the number of deaths from AIDS, short for acquired immune deficiency syndrome. The virus has killed tens of millions of people since it was first identified in the 1980s.
人們時常會注意到艾滋病致死人數，艾滋病(AIDS)是獲得性免疫缺陷綜合癥的簡稱。該病毒自上世紀80年代被首次確認以來，已經導致了數千萬人死亡。
But on this World AIDS Day, there is more hope than ever before that researchers are getting close to finding a vaccine to protect against infection.
但是今年的世界艾滋病日比以往有了更大的希望，研究人員越來越接近找到一種可以預防感染的疫苗。
Much has happened since the first World AIDS Day observance in 1988. Countries where people did not talk about the virus now test people and treat those who are infected.
自從1988年第一次世界艾滋病日紀念活動以來發(fā)生了很多事情。沒有聽過這種病毒的國家現在都開始給人們做檢查，并治療感染者。
Mothers with HIV -- the virus that causes AIDS -- can give birth to healthy babies and live to raise them. Drugs can keep the virus from spreading.
感染了艾滋病毒的孕婦可以生下健康的嬰兒，并活下去撫養(yǎng)他們。藥物可以防止這種病毒蔓延。
And now, scientists are discussing the possibility that a vaccine and cure may be developed.
現在，科學家正在討論開發(fā)出疫苗和治療辦法的可能性。
On Monday, researchers in South Africa began injecting thousands of volunteers with a possible vaccine.
周一，南非研究人員開始給數千名志愿者注射一種可能有效的疫苗。
Other researchers are examining whether the body's own defenses against disease can help fight the virus.
其他研究人員正在檢查身體自有免疫系統(tǒng)是否有助于對抗這種病毒。
An American study shows this may be possible. One of the researchers was Pablo Tebas of the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Tebas spoke to VOA on Skype.
美國一項研究表明這也許是可能的。賓夕法尼亞大學的帕布洛·特巴斯(Pablo Tebas)就是研究人員之一。特巴斯博士通過Skype接受了美國之音的采訪。
"We infuse antibodies into the patients, the participants in the study, and we want to see if those antibodies will control the HIV virus -- will keep it quiet, and prevent the virus from coming back when we stop antiretroviral therapy."
他說，“我們將抗體注入參與這項研究的患者體內，希望看到這些抗體是否能控制艾滋病毒，將它抑制住，并且防止該病毒在停止抗逆轉錄病毒治療時重新出現。”
The research in controlling HIV with antibodies is similar to that being done in the fight against cancer. Proteins are used to attack cancer cells. Like cancer, HIV hides in cells. If a person stops taking anti-AIDS drugs, the virus returns.
用抗體控制艾滋病毒的研究和抗擊癌癥所進行的研究類似。蛋白質被用于攻擊癌癥細胞。艾滋病毒跟癌癥一樣隱藏在細胞之中。如果患者停止服用抗艾滋病毒藥物，病毒就會重新出現。
"You want to eliminate the cells that harbor the virus and by making the immune system more active, in finding and eliminating those cells."
特巴斯說，“我們想要清除攜帶病毒的細胞，并且通過讓免疫系統(tǒng)更加活躍以發(fā)現和清除這些細胞。”
The researchers discovered that the antibodies suppressed HIV for 21 days. The goal is to find a combination of antibodies that can suppress the virus for six months to a year. Then, those infected will no longer have to take medicine every day for the rest of their lives.
研究人員發(fā)現這種抗體可以抑制艾滋病毒長達21天。他們的目標是找到一種可以抑制病毒達到半年到一年的抗體組合。然后，感染者就不再需要在余生中每天都服藥。
A new test using two antibodies should begin in the next few months.
使用兩種抗體的新的試驗將在未來幾個月開始進行。
I'm Anne Ball.
安妮·波爾報道。