馬拉維人道主義無人機測試中心成立
The project is intended to explore the best ways to use drones to transport medicine and blood samples.
該項目主要用於探索無人機運送藥物和血樣的最佳路徑。
Malawi's government will operate the testing center in cooperation with United Nations Children's Fund, or UNICEF. It is the first center of its kind in Africa.
馬拉維政府將與聯合國兒童基金會共同運作這個中心，這也是位於非洲的首家測試中心。
Officials from the government and UNICEF held a launch ceremony last week in the capital Lilongwe. Flights are expected to be fully operating by April 2017. The drones will be carrying materials as far as 40 kilometers.
馬拉維政府和聯合國兒童基金會的有關人員上週在首都利隆圭進行了啓動儀式。該中心預計到2017年4月全面展開飛行。這種無人機能夠運送物資最遠至40公里開外。
The most immediate use of drones in Malawi will be to help speed up the identification of HIV in babies. HIV is the virus that causes the disease AIDS.
無人機在馬拉維最直接的應用，是幫助加快對嬰兒的艾滋病毒（艾滋病毒會導致艾滋病）檢測。
Malawi has one of the highest HIV infection rates in the world, especially among babies and children. Each year, about 10,000 children die in Malawi of HIV, according to UNICEF.
馬拉維是全球艾滋病毒感染率最高的國家之一，尤其是在嬰兒和兒童之中感染率最高。聯合國兒童基金會稱馬拉維每年大約有1萬名兒童死於艾滋病。
Currently, it can take up to 11 days to transport blood samples to laboratories by motorcycle or ambulance. It can then take another four weeks for blood test results to be returned.
目前，使用摩托車或救護車運送血樣到實驗室需要長達11天的時間。然後血液檢查結果返回又需要四周時間。
UNICEF officials are hoping the drone flights will save many lives by cutting the time it takes to get HIV test results. It is important for infected children to get treatment as soon as possible to increase their chances for survival.
聯合國兒童基金會官員希望，無人機能縮短獲得艾滋病毒檢測結果的時間以拯救更多生命。儘快治療受感染兒童很重要。
In March, UNICEF-Malawi successfully completed its first drone test flight. A drone traveled 10 kilometers to deliver materials from a community health center to a hospital in Lilongwe.
今年3月份，聯合國兒童基金會和馬拉維成功完成了第一次無人機試飛測試。一架無人機飛行了10公里，把物資從社區保健中心順利送到了利隆圭的一家醫院。
Drones also will be tested to see if they can support transportation and collect information. These are important tasks in Malawi, where severe droughts and flooding can make damage assessments difficult during emergencies.
無人機還將進行後續測試，以測試它們是否支持運輸和收集信息。以上是馬拉維重要的任務。馬拉維嚴重的乾旱和洪水，可能會使緊急情況下的災害評估變得更困難。
Drone aircraft are also being used in other parts of Africa to transport blood, medicine and humanitarian supplies.
非洲其它地區也在使用無人機運送血液、藥品和人道主義救助物資。
Earlier this year, the Rwandan government signed a deal to cooperate with a U.S.-based company to transport supplies to medical centers across the country.
今年早些時候，盧旺達政府同一家總部設在美國的公司簽下協議，旨在將物資運送到全國各地的醫療中心。
In Madagascar, drones fly blood and laboratory materials from rural villages to a research station for testing. The aircraft help doctors speed up the identification of disease in patients and make quick deliveries of vaccines.
在馬達加斯加，無人機將血樣和化驗材料從農村運往研究站進行檢測。這些飛機將會幫助醫生加速對病人的診斷，並快速交付疫苗。
