【英语语言学习】童年的扼杀者

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

It has been three years since India recorded at its last polio case. This achievement means the country can now be declared officially polio-free, a feat¹ many health leaders felt was impossible just a decade ago.

As NPR's Michaeleen Doucleff reports, the same efforts to eradicate² polio will help the country tackle an even bigger problem - measles³.

(SOUNDBITE OF A CROWD AND TRAFFIC)

MICHAELEEN DOUCLEFF, BYLINE⁴: It's a hot, dry day in the sprawling⁵ city of Moradabad, India. It's near the Nepalese border and the streets are packed. There's motorcycles, rickshaws and even a few horse-drawn carts.

(SOUNDBITE OF A CROWD AND TRAFFIC)

DOUCLEFF: But down a dark, narrow alley⁶, the traffic fizzles out. And at the end, a group of parents is urging on a group of school kids. A boy in the front grabs the microphone.

UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: (Foreign language spoken)

CROWD: (Foreign language spoken)

DOUCLEFF: Go home to home, mother and father. Don't forget two drops of life, the kids shout out as they march down the alley.

They're announcing the start of a polio vaccination⁷ campaign. They're telling parents to bring their children to vaccine⁸ booths so they can get two drops of the oral vaccine. A local religious leader then reinforces the message.

UNIDENTIFIED MAN: (Foreign language spoken)

DOUCLEFF: Here's an important announcement, he says, Children up to age 5 will be given polio vaccine morning. Please give your children these polio vaccines⁹.

UNIDENTIFIED MAN: (Foreign language spoken)

DOUCLEFF: Ten years ago, Moradabad was the world's epicenter for polio. But due to relentless¹⁰ vaccination campaigns, and a flood of money from international foundations, the region and India as a whole wiped out the virus in 2011.

DR. JAMES GOODSON: This was an enormous public health success. And it means that children and their parents no longer live in fear of that crippling disease in India.

DOUCLEFF: Dr. James Goodson is with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. He says that ending polio also means India, for the first time, has the tools and infrastructure¹¹ it needs to go after other childhood diseases. At the top of the list - measles.

GOODSON: Because they were able to eliminate polio and see the success of that, they are now able to turn much more of their attention and focus toward eliminating measles.

DOUCLEFF: And measles is a big deal in India. An estimated 56,000 children died from the disease in 2011 alone. That translates to about 156 deaths each day.

GOODSON: Fortunately, the measles vaccine is one of the most effective and provides lifelong protection from the disease. But you do need two doses.

DOUCLEFF: And that's been the problem. Goodson says babies have traditionally gotten the first dose of the measles vaccine when they get their other shots. But the government just didn't have a way to reach all these kids twice, until now.

GOODSON: Polio eradication¹² uses mass vaccination campaigns. These social networks of volunteers and some paid staff are very helpful for making sure that all children come to receive their vaccination during those campaigns. And so, now what we're seeing in India is that these networks are being retooled¹³ to fight measles, and to work towards measles elimination¹⁴.

(SOUNDBITE OF A CROWD AND A CRYING INFANT)

DOUCLEFF: Back at the vaccination drive in Moradabad, the transition to fighting measles is already apparent. At one booth, health workers are giving babies two drops of the polio vaccine and then their second shot for measles.

Dr. Anisure Saddique directs the polio effort in the region for UNICEF. He says that stopping measles is going to be more challenging than polio.

DR. ANISURE SADDIQUE: Measles is not like polio because the vaccine is an injectable. Anyone just in half an hour training can administer polio vaccine. But for measles vaccinations¹⁵ we need trained manpower and these health worker within the government is limited.

DOUCLEFF: Nevertheless, Saddique says that India's success against polio has motivated local governments to train more people and ramp¹⁶ up health care.

SADDIQUE: This whole polio program, actually, it brought public health on the focus. All the health workers are known by the community so there's a huge demand.

DOUCLEFF: Many health leaders are starting to think that if a massive country like India can conquer polio, why not other diseases as well.

Michaeleen Doucleff, NPR News.

1 feat   

n.功绩；武艺，技艺；adj.灵巧的，漂亮的，合适的

参考例句：

• Man's first landing on the moon was a feat of great daring.人类首次登月是一个勇敢的壮举。
• He received a medal for his heroic feat.他因其英雄业绩而获得一枚勋章。

2 eradicate   

v.根除，消灭，杜绝

参考例句：

• These insects are very difficult to eradicate.这些昆虫很难根除。
• They are already battling to eradicate illnesses such as malaria and tetanus.他们已经在努力消灭疟疾、破伤风等疾病。

3 measles   

n.麻疹，风疹，包虫病，痧子

参考例句：

• The doctor is quite definite about Tom having measles.医生十分肯定汤姆得了麻疹。
• The doctor told her to watch out for symptoms of measles.医生叫她注意麻疹出现的症状。

4 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

5 sprawling   

adj.蔓生的，不规则地伸展的v.伸开四肢坐[躺]( sprawl的现在分词 )；蔓延；杂乱无序地拓展；四肢伸展坐着（或躺着）

参考例句：

• He was sprawling in an armchair in front of the TV. 他伸开手脚坐在电视机前的一张扶手椅上。
• a modern sprawling town 一座杂乱无序拓展的现代城镇

6 alley   

n.小巷，胡同；小径，小路

参考例句：

• We live in the same alley.我们住在同一条小巷里。
• The blind alley ended in a brick wall.这条死胡同的尽头是砖墙。

7 vaccination   

n.接种疫苗，种痘

参考例句：

• Vaccination is a preventive against smallpox.种痘是预防天花的方法。
• Doctors suggest getting a tetanus vaccination every ten years.医生建议每十年注射一次破伤风疫苗。

8 vaccine   

n.牛痘苗，疫苗；adj.牛痘的，疫苗的

参考例句：

• The polio vaccine has saved millions of lives.脊髓灰质炎疫苗挽救了数以百万计的生命。
• She takes a vaccine against influenza every fall.她每年秋季接种流感疫苗。

9 vaccines   

疫苗，痘苗( vaccine的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His team are at the forefront of scientific research into vaccines. 他的小组处于疫苗科研的最前沿。
• The vaccines were kept cool in refrigerators. 疫苗放在冰箱中冷藏。

10 relentless   

adj.残酷的，不留情的，无怜悯心的

参考例句：

• The traffic noise is relentless.交通车辆的噪音一刻也不停止。
• Their training has to be relentless.他们的训练必须是无情的。

11 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

12 eradication   

n.根除

参考例句：

• The eradication of an established infestation is not easy. 根除昆虫蔓延是不容易的。
• This is often required for intelligent control and eradication. 这经常需要灵巧的控制与消除。

13 retooled   

v.（给…）更换工具， （给…）更换机械设备( retool的过去式和过去分词 )；改组，革新

参考例句：

• The company will be retooled after the incorporation. 合并之后的公司要进行重组。 来自辞典例句
• Each time the product changes, the machines have to be retooled. 每次更换产品，就得重新装备机器。 来自辞典例句

14 elimination   

n.排除，消除，消灭

参考例句：

• Their elimination from the competition was a great surprise.他们在比赛中遭到淘汰是个很大的意外。
• I was eliminated from the 400 metres in the semi-finals.我在400米半决赛中被淘汰。

15 vaccinations   

n.种痘，接种( vaccination的名词复数 )；牛痘疤

参考例句：

• Vaccinations ensure one against diseases. 接种疫苗可以预防疾病。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• I read some publicity about vaccinations while waiting my turn at the doctor's. 在医生那儿候诊时，我读了一些关于接种疫苗的宣传。 来自《简明英汉词典》

16 ramp   

n.暴怒，斜坡，坡道；vi.作恐吓姿势，暴怒，加速；vt.加速

参考例句：

• That driver drove the car up the ramp.那司机将车开上了斜坡。
• The factory don't have that capacity to ramp up.这家工厂没有能力加速生产。