VOA慢速英语2014 Ebola: Staying Safe Against a Killer Disease

 

Ebola: Staying Safe Against a Killer¹ Disease

From VOA Learning English, this is the Health Report.

The World Health Organization, the W.H.O., says the disease Ebola is spreading in West Africa. Thesituation frightens both local citizens and travelers.                          

There is no vaccine² or special treatment.  And the fatality³ rate is very high. That rate representsthe number of people who get sick from Ebola and then die.  Ebola can kill up to 90 percent ofthose infected.  At the time of this report, the W.H.O. says that in West Africa the disease hasinfected nearly 1,000 people and has killed more than 600.

It is difficult to stop Ebola from spreading. It moves easily from person to person.  The diseasestrikes its victims through direct contact with the blood or other fluids from the body of an infectedperson.  For that reason Ebola patients must be kept away from other people.                                                            

The bodies of victims still contain the virus days after they die.  Local traditions and burial andfuneral customs also make the sickness hard to contain.            

Doctors say it is important to identify an Ebola case early to prevent others from becominginfected.  Patients suffer from high body temperature, bleeding and diarrhea. 

Only a few prevention measures exist.  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the U.S., the C.D.C., and the W.H.O. suggest staying away from countries with confirmed Ebola cases.  People at increased threat include those working in animal research, health care workers andothers caring for patients in the community.                     

As of July 15, 2014, the W.H.O. says Ebola killed 68 people in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone, the three countries where the disease has been confirmed.  The W.H.O. also reports "high levels oftransmission" continue in those countries.

The W.H.O. is helping⁴ to train volunteers in Liberia and Sierra Leone to locate anyone who mayhave been in contact with the Ebola virus.  The W.H.O. says is wants to ensure that suspectedEbola patients are immediately isolated⁵, or kept away from other people. The U.N. agency has alsoopened a new office in Guinea to help with the local response to the outbreak.

A patient in Ghana was suspected of having Ebola, but tests did not show the sickness.  Ghanaianobservers say the man has since died from unknown causes. The victim was an Americancitizen.                     

In the past, cases of Ebola have been confirmed in the Republic of the Congo, C?te d’Ivoire,Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Sudan, and Uganda.  

Doctors advise careful protective measures if you must go to an area where Ebola exists. 

Wash your hands often.  If soap and water are not available, use a hand sanitizer – or cleaner --containing at least 60 percent alcohol.  Avoid eating primates⁶, bats, and bush meat or wild meat. Stay away from mines and places where bats and other rodents⁷ may live.

If Ebola has been identified directly around you, the C.D.C. and W.H.O. strongly suggest wearingprotective clothing.  Cover your face and hands.  Goggles can help protect the eyes.  Try toremove Ebola germs with cleaners that fight infection.          

Keep listening to VOA's Learning English Health Report for more updates on the developing story. 

1 killer   

n.杀人者，杀人犯，杀手，屠杀者

参考例句：

• Heart attacks have become Britain's No.1 killer disease.心脏病已成为英国的头号致命疾病。
• The bulk of the evidence points to him as her killer.大量证据证明是他杀死她的。

2 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。

3 fatality   

n.不幸，灾祸，天命

参考例句：

• She struggle against fatality in vain.她徒然奋斗反抗宿命。
• He began to have a growing sense of fatality.他开始有一种越来越强烈的宿命感。

4 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

5 isolated   

adj.与世隔绝的

参考例句：

• His bad behaviour was just an isolated incident. 他的不良行为只是个别事件。
• Patients with the disease should be isolated. 这种病的患者应予以隔离。

6 primates   

primate的复数

参考例句：

• Primates are alert, inquisitive animals. 灵长目动物是机灵、好奇的动物。
• Consciousness or cerebration has been said to have emerged in the evolution of higher primates. 据说意识或思考在较高级灵长类的进化中已出现。

7 rodents   

n.啮齿目动物( rodent的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Rodents carry diseases and are generally regarded as pests. 啮齿目动物传播疾病，常被当作害虫对待。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Some wild rodents in Africa also harbor the virus. 在非洲，有些野生啮齿动物也是储毒者。 来自辞典例句