Heroes and villains

The history of AIDS
艾滋病的历史

Heroes and villains
英雄与狗熊

The story of AIDS involves many larger-than-life characters, good and bad
艾滋病的故事涉及到富有英雄色彩的人物和人性的善与恶
Jun 2nd 2011 | from the print edition
ANNIVERSARIES are times for reflection, and this one should be no exception, for the 30-year history of AIDS is a mirror in which humanity can examine itself. From questionable scientists to philanthropic billionaires, people's actions against AIDS, and reactions to it, have shown up the best and worst that humans have to offer.
人们往往在纪念日（进行）反思，这次也会不例外：艾滋病30年的历史是一面能使人类（重新）自我审视的镜子。 从道德缺失的科学家到仁慈的亿万富翁，人们与艾滋病抗争行动，以及对它的反应，已揭露出了人类所表现出来的善与恶。

Such dualism was there from the beginning, in the question of who discovered the AIDS-causing virus. There were two claimants. One, Robert Gallo, is American. The other,Luc Montagnier, is French. Dr Gallo called his discovery HTLV-3. Dr Montagnier called his LAV. They were in fact the same thing. It turned out, however, that Dr Gallo's virus had come from Dr Montagnier's laboratory. It was never conclusively proved how, though a contaminated sample may have been to blame. And Dr Gallo was exonerated of any wrongdoing by an official investigation and is universally recognised to have done important work on AIDS. But only Dr Montagnier won the Nobel prize―eloquent testimony to some people's opinion of the whole affair.
这种二重性从一开始便存在，就在谁发现了艾滋病致病病毒问题上。 有两个自认有功者：一位是美国的罗伯特盖洛（Robert Gallo）；另外一位是法国的吕克?蒙塔尼（Luc Montagnier）。 盖洛博士（Dr Gallo）称他发现HTLV-3病毒。 蒙塔尼博士（Dr Montagnier）称他发现LAV病毒。 HTLV-3病毒和LAV病毒实际上是相同的东西。然而，结果证明，盖洛博士（Dr Gallo）的病毒是源于蒙塔尼博士博士（Dr Montagnier）的实验室。但是从来没有确凿地证据证明病毒怎样从蒙塔尼博士博士（Dr Montagnier）的实验室传播开来，虽然可能追究于受污染的实验样本。经过正式调查，盖洛博士（Dr Gallo）摆脱了一切不道德行为的罪名，并被普遍认为他在艾滋病方面做出重大贡献。 但是，蒙塔尼博士（Dr Montagnier）获得诺贝尔奖是对整件事某些看法的最有说服力的证据。

Another source of conflict was whether HIV, as the virus eventually came to be known, was truly the cause of AIDS. At the beginning of the epidemic, that might have been debatable. Perhaps HIV was merely a passenger that took advantage of an immune system weakened by another cause? One once-respected scientist, Peter Duesberg, who did early research on viral causes of cancer, would not drop the idea. He insisted―and still insists―that the weakening of the immune system characteristic of AIDS is caused by drug-taking (he blames both recreational drugs and AZT, one of the early anti-AIDS drugs), and that HIV is, indeed, a passenger.
另一个冲突的源头在于现在广为人知的HIV病毒是否是引起艾滋病真正成因。 在艾滋病的刚刚开始盛行时，这可能性是富有争议的。也许HIV病毒仅仅个过客，而造成免疫系统衰弱的真凶另有其人？曾备受尊重的从事滤过性毒菌引起的癌症的早期研究的科学家彼得?迪斯贝格（Peter Duesberg）没有终止这想法。 他坚持认为――现在仍然坚持――，认为艾滋病的特征免疫系统的衰弱是由吸毒引起的（他把它归咎于毒品和最早抗艾滋病药物之一的AZT药物），因而HIV病毒确实只是个过客。

This theory would not have mattered much except that Thabo Mbeki, a former president of South Africa, latched on to it. Since South Africa has the world's largest number of AIDS cases, and one of its highest infection rates, this was bad news, as was Mr Mbeki's health minister, Manto Tshabalala-Msimang, who was appointed mainly because she agreed with him, and recommended beetroot and garlic as treatment for the disease. Only with the election of Jacob Zuma, who has himself been publicly tested for HIV (he did not have it), did South Africa return to sensible anti-AIDS policies.
但南非前总统塔博?姆贝基（Thabo Mbeki）对这一观点感兴趣，就会引起重大影响。 由于南非拥有全世界最多的艾滋病患者而且是其最高感染率国家之一，这个前总统对这种理论一感了兴趣，可糟了。他居然还任命曼托查巴拉拉-姆西曼（Manto Tshabalala-Msimang）为卫生部长，只是因为这位认同这位前总统的观点，而且那部长还建议用建议用甜菜根和大蒜来治疗艾滋病。直到雅各布?祖玛（Jacob Zuma）当选，亲身公开对HIV病毒进行测试（他没有感染艾滋病），南非在反艾滋病政策才重返理智。

Among the heroes, Bill Gates looms large. The foundation into which he poured much of his Microsoft fortune took AIDS seriously from the beginning, forming a particularly fruitful partnership with the government of Botswana, one of the worst-affected countries. AndNelson Mandela, the heroes' hero, also cleaved eventually to the path of righteousness, even while admitting he had not done enough to combat AIDS during his own presidency of South Africa.
在众多英雄好汉之中，比尔?盖茨（Bill Gates）赫然耸现。他用很大一部分微软的财富的捐资建立的基金会从源头治理艾滋病，特别从富有伙伴关系的受灾最严重国家之一的博茨瓦纳政府开始。而纳尔逊?曼德拉（Nelson Mandela）也是英雄中的英雄，在正义的路径上披荆斩棘地前进，即使他承认在他当总统时在与艾滋病抗战上留有余力。

Mr Gates and Mr Mandela are easy to admire. One hero that many AIDS activists have difficulty accepting, though, is George Bush junior. Activists do not much like born-again Christians, who take a dim view of the sort of sex lives that help to spread HIV. But Mr Bush was responsible for setting up the President's Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and for making sure it had plenty of money. PEPFAR is one of the two main organisations, along with the Global Fund, that dish out the cash that rich countries give poor ones to combat AIDS. Last year, it spent almost $7 billion on AIDS and the tuberculosis that often accompanies it, and it is responsible for helping half of the 6.6m people now on anti-retroviral drugs. Many activists may be reluctant to give Mr Bush credit. But handsome is as handsome does.
盖茨先生和曼德拉先生很值得欣赏。 不过。许多艾滋病活动家难以接受，另个英雄，是小布什（George Bush junior） 。 活动家与对"性生活能传播艾滋病"不以为然而信仰重生的基督徒极不相像。 但是布什先生负责建立艾滋病救济总统紧急计划（PEPFAR），并确保提供充足的资金。PEPFAR是两个主要组织之一，与富裕国家给贫穷国家在与艾滋病抗争上提供现金救济的全球基金（Global Fund）齐名。 去年，它在抗艾滋病和往往伴随出现的结核病上将近花费70亿美元，而且在逆转病毒药物上六千六百万患者中半数都能受惠。 许多活动家可能不太愿意嘉许布什的功劳。 但是，行为美才是真美