VOICE ONE:
This is SCIENCE IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English.
I'm Faith Lapidus.
VOICE TWO:
And I'm Steve Ember. On our program
this week, we will tell how pollution in China’s air is creating concerns about
the Beijing Olympic Games. We also will tell how people who stop smoking may
help others who want to stop. And, we tell about a United Nations report on
treatment of AIDS and the virus that causes the
disease.
(MUSIC)
VOICE ONE:
 |
| In Beijing, a woman crosses a street under polluted
skies on June 13 |
Chinese officials are making final
preparations for the Beijing Olympic Games. The games will officially open on
August eighth. Recently, news agencies reported about air quality problems in
China's capital. Air pollution levels rose sharply in Beijing late last month.
The pollution was so bad that the city's environmental protection agency warned
people with breathing problems to avoid outdoor activities. Officials blamed a
sandstorm for the poor air quality.
VOICE TWO:
Air pollution can
be a serious issue for people who compete in athletic events. Some doctors have
urged Olympic athletes not to train in China because it could be harmful to
their health. For example, Ethiopian runner Haile Gebrselassie has the breathing
disorder asthma. He has chosen not to take part in the marathon at the Beijing
Olympics for health reasons.
The International Olympic Committee has said
it will cancel or postpone Olympic events, such as the marathon, if the air
quality is too dangerous for athletes.
VOICE ONE:
Some
international organizations have said the air in Beijing is among the most
polluted in the world. The air pollution has many causes, including automobiles
and burning of coal as a fuel. Chinese officials are attempting to solve these
problems by decreasing the amount of traffic and ordering the use of natural gas
instead of coal. Beijing officials have also ordered surrounding areas to
decrease their levels of pollution.
China is also using weather
satellites to help predict weather conditions. The weather can influence air
pollution levels because of the effects of wind and rain.
VOICE
TWO:
But one weather expert says pollution might not be the biggest
problem facing the Olympic athletes. Doug Charko measures weather conditions for
the Canadian Olympic team. He studied weather conditions in Beijing last summer
to predict what Canadian athletes could expect at the games. His study found
that heat and humidity could be more of a problem than air quality. Humidity
levels measure wetness, especially in the air.
Mister Charko also says
efforts to reduce pollution levels in China have only resulted in small changes.
He noted that Beijing has a population of eighteen million people. With so many
people, he said, it is very difficult to limit the large amounts of pollution
being released.
(MUSIC)
VOICE ONE:
You are listening to
SCIENCE IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English. With Steve Ember, I'm Faith Lapidus
in Washington.
(MUSIC):
Would you like to stop smoking? Knowing
other people who are stopping may help. A recent study shows that people who
stop smoking often have an influence on others around them, making them more
likely to quit. The study was published last month in the New England Journal of
Medicine.
VOICE TWO:
Two American researchers led the study on
smoking. They are Nicholas Christakis of Harvard University and James Fowler of
the University of California at San Diego. They examined the smoking and social
customs of twelve thousand people over a thirty-two year period. The information
used in the study was collected between nineteen seventy-one and two thousand
three. The twelve thousand individuals were part of a larger research project
known as the Framingham Heart Study.
VOICE ONE:
The researchers
found that people often quit smoking in groups. Married people had strong
effects on their partners. Smokers who had a husband or wife who quit were
sixty-seven percent less likely to continue smoking. Those who had a friend who
quit were thirty-six percent less likely to keep smoking. And those with a
brother or sister who quit were twenty-five percent less likely to remain a
smoker. Even people who did not know each other but had connections to the same
people were affected by one another.
The study also found that
individuals with higher levels of education had more influence on other people
than those with less education.
VOICE TWO:
The United States has
an estimated forty-four million smokers. But the number of Americans who smoke
has decreased during the past thirty years. Researchers found that smokers and
non-smokers began forming separate social groups during the period. Cigarette or
tobacco use has become less socially acceptable because of increased
understanding of the health risks linked to smoking.
The finding could
help public health campaigns to be more successful by directing information to
social groups of people instead of individuals.
VOICE ONE:
The
researchers say smokers who do not quit could find themselves with fewer friends
and social connections. Because it is becoming less socially acceptable to
smoke, people who do will feel increasing pressure to stop
smoking.
Steven Schroeder is a professor of medicine at the University of
California in San Francisco. He says the study is good news because it shows
that more smokers are giving in to pressure from those around them to quit. But
he says smokers should not be condemned because they have trouble giving up
cigarettes.
(MUSIC)
VOICE TWO:
Finally, the United Nations
says almost three million people in developing countries are receiving drugs for
HIV -- the Human Immunodeficiency Virus. This is an increase of almost one
million people from two years ago. Still, the hope was to reach three million by
two thousand five.
The World Health Organization, the United Nations
Children’s Fund and UNAIDS reported the numbers earlier this month. W.H.O.
Director-General Margaret Chan welcomed the progress. But she noted that
antiretroviral therapy, or ART, alone will not solve the problem.
 |
| Margaret Chan |
MARGARET CHAN:
"For every two persons we manage, to provide them with ART, another five persons
get infected. So again, we cannot underestimate the power of
prevention."
VOICE ONE:
The new U.N. report says almost
seventy-five percent of people receiving H.I.V. drugs are in Africa. Sixty
percent of those with H.I.V. in Africa are women.
Antiretroviral therapy
suppresses the virus. The drugs help patients live longer without developing
AIDS. The disease robs the body of its natural defenses against
infections.
An estimated nine million seven hundred thousand people were
in need of H.I.V. treatment last year in areas with low and medium-wages. The
report says that by the end of the year, just over thirty percent of them were
getting it.
VOICE TWO:
The U.N. report says price reductions are a
main reason why more people with H.I.V., including more pregnant women, are
receiving the drugs. Also, supply systems have been redesigned to better serve
individual countries and smaller health centers. And treatments are simpler than
in the past.
But the report notes that huge barriers remain in dealing
with the AIDS problem. Getting patients to continue with their treatment is
difficult. There are still large numbers of people who do not get tested for
H.I.V. And, there are many others who get tested too late and die within
months.
VOICE ONE:
The U.N. report also says there is not enough
joint treatment of H.I.V. and the related infections that most often kill AIDS
patients. Tuberculosis, for example, is the leading cause of death among AIDS
patients in Africa.
Yet another problem is the lack of trained health
care workers in the developing world. Many move to wealthy nations for better
pay and living conditions.
(MUSIC)
VOICE TWO:
This SCIENCE
IN THE NEWS was written by Brianna Blake, Elizabeth Stern and Caty Weaver. Our
producer was Brianna Blake. I'm Steve Ember.
VOICE ONE:
And I'm Faith Lapidus. We would like to hear from you. Write to us at Special
English, Voice of America, Washington, D-C, two-zero-two-three-seven, U-S-A. Or
send electronic messages to special@voanews.com. Join us again at this time next
week for more news about science in Special English on the Voice of
America.
VOICE ONE:
This is SCIENCE IN THE NEWS in VOA Special
English. I'm Faith Lapidus.
VOICE TWO:
And I'm Steve Ember. On our
program this week, we will tell how pollution in China’s air is creating
concerns about the Beijing Olympic Games. We also will tell how people who stop
smoking may help others who want to stop. And, we tell about a United Nations
report on treatment of AIDS and the virus that causes the disease.
VOICE
ONE:
Chinese officials are making final preparations for the Beijing
Olympic Games. The games will officially open on August eighth. Recently, news
agencies reported about air quality problems in China's capital. Air pollution
levels rose sharply in Beijing late last month. The pollution was so bad that
the city's environmental protection agency warned people with breathing problems
to avoid outdoor activities. Officials blamed a sandstorm for the poor air
quality.
VOICE TWO:
Air pollution can be a serious issue for people
who compete in athletic events. Some doctors have urged Olympic athletes not to
train in China because it could be harmful to their health. For example,
Ethiopian runner Haile Gebrselassie has the breathing disorder asthma. He has
chosen not to take part in the marathon at the Beijing Olympics for health
reasons.
The International Olympic Committee has said it will cancel or
postpone Olympic events, such as the marathon, if the air quality is too
dangerous for athletes.
VOICE ONE:
Some international
organizations have said the air in Beijing is among the most polluted in the
world. The air pollution has many causes, including automobiles and burning of
coal as a fuel. Chinese officials are attempting to solve these problems by
decreasing the amount of traffic and ordering the use of natural gas instead of
coal. Beijing officials have also ordered surrounding areas to decrease their
levels of pollution.
China is also using weather satellites to help
predict weather conditions. The weather can influence air pollution levels
because of the effects of wind and rain.
VOICE TWO:
But one
weather expert says pollution might not be the biggest problem facing the
Olympic athletes. Doug Charko measures weather conditions for the Canadian
Olympic team. He studied weather conditions in Beijing last summer to predict
what Canadian athletes could expect at the games. His study found that heat and
humidity could be more of a problem than air quality. Humidity levels measure
wetness, especially in the air.
Mister Charko also says efforts to reduce
pollution levels in China have only resulted in small changes. He noted that
Beijing has a population of eighteen million people. With so many people, he
said, it is very difficult to limit the large amounts of pollution being
released.
(MUSIC)
VOICE ONE:
You are listening to SCIENCE
IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English. With Steve Ember, I'm Faith Lapidus in
Washington.
Would you like to stop smoking? Knowing other people who are
stopping may help. A recent study shows that people who stop smoking often have
an influence on others around them, making them more likely to quit. The study
was published last month in The New England Journal of Medicine.
VOICE
TWO:
Two American researchers led the study on smoking. They are Nicholas
Christakis of Harvard University and James Fowler of the University of
California at San Diego. They examined the smoking and social customs of twelve
thousand people over a thirty-two year period. The information used in the study
was collected between nineteen seventy-one and two thousand three. The twelve
thousand individuals were part of a larger research project known as the
Framingham Heart Study.
VOICE ONE:
The researchers found that
people often quit smoking in groups. Married people had strong effects on their
partners. Smokers who had a husband or wife who quit were sixty-seven percent
less likely to continue smoking. Those who had a friend who quit were thirty-six
percent less likely to keep smoking. And those with a brother or sister who quit
were twenty-five percent less likely to remain a smoker. Even people who did not
know each other but had connections to the same people were affected by one
another.
The study also found that individuals with higher levels of
education had more influence on other people than those with less
education.
VOICE TWO:
The United States has an estimated
forty-four million smokers. But the number of Americans who smoke has decreased
during the past thirty years. Researchers found that smokers and non-smokers
began forming separate social groups during the period. Cigarette or tobacco use
has become less socially acceptable because of increased understanding of the
health risks linked to smoking.
The finding could help public health
campaigns to be more successful by directing information to social groups of
people instead of individuals.
VOICE ONE:
The researchers say
smokers who do not quit could find themselves with fewer friends and social
connections. Because it is becoming less socially acceptable to smoke, people
who do will feel increasing pressure to stop smoking.
Steven Schroeder is
a professor of medicine at the University of California in San Francisco. He
says the study is good news because it shows that more smokers are giving in to
pressure from those around them to quit. But he says smokers should not be
condemned because they have trouble giving up
cigarettes.
(MUSIC)
VOICE TWO:
Finally, the United Nations
says almost three million people in developing countries are receiving drugs for
HIV -- the Human Immunodeficiency Virus. This is an increase of almost one
million people from two years ago. Still, the hope was to reach three million by
two thousand five.
The World Health Organization, the United Nations
Children’s Fund and UNAIDS reported the numbers earlier this month. W.H.O.
Director-General Margaret Chan welcomed the progress. But she noted that
antiretroviral therapy, or ART, alone will not solve the
problem.
MARGARET CHAN: "For every two persons we manage, to provide them
with ART, another five persons get infected. So again, we cannot underestimate
the power of prevention."
VOICE ONE:
The new U.N. report says
almost seventy-five percent of people receiving H.I.V. drugs are in Africa.
Sixty percent of those with H.I.V. in Africa are women.
Antiretroviral
therapy suppresses the virus. The drugs help patients live longer without
developing AIDS. The disease robs the body of its natural defenses against
infections.
An estimated nine million seven hundred thousand people were
in need of H.I.V. treatment last year in areas with low and medium-wages. The
report says that by the end of the year, just over thirty percent of them were
getting it.
VOICE TWO:
The U.N. report says price reductions are a
main reason why more people with H.I.V., including more pregnant women, are
receiving the drugs. Also, supply systems have been redesigned to better serve
individual countries and smaller health centers. And treatments are simpler than
in the past.
But the report notes that huge barriers remain in dealing
with the AIDS problem. Getting patients to continue with their treatment is
difficult. There are still large numbers of people who do not get tested for
H.I.V. And, there are many others who get tested too late and die within
months.
VOICE ONE:
The U.N. report also says there is not enough
joint treatment of H.I.V. and the related infections that most often kill AIDS
patients. Tuberculosis, for example, is the leading cause of death among AIDS
patients in Africa.
Yet another problem is the lack of trained health
care workers in the developing world. Many move to wealthy nations for better
pay and living conditions.
(MUSIC)
VOICE TWO:
This SCIENCE
IN THE NEWS was written by Brianna Blake, Elizabeth Stern and Caty Weaver. Our
producer was Brianna Blake. I'm Steve Ember.
VOICE ONE:
And I'm
Faith Lapidus. We would like to hear from you. Write to us at Special English,
Voice of America, Washington, D.C., two-zero-two-three-seven, U-S-A. Or send
electronic messages to special@voanews.com. Join us again at this time next week
for more news about science in Special English on the Voice of
America.
