VOA慢速英语2014 控制埃博拉“机会之窗”要关闭

 

Containing Ebola: Window of Opportunity Closing 控制埃博拉“机会之窗”要关闭 

From VOA Learning English, this is the Health Report.

A top health expert warns that the whole world needs to help deal with what he calls the “first Ebola epidemic¹ the world has known.”

Tom Frieden, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, spoke² to reporters at the C.D.C. headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia.  He warns that the Ebola spread in West Africa will expand greatly over the next few weeks. He says a massive global effort is needed now to contain the disease.

Doctor Frieden just returned from a visit to the most affected³ countries: Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia.  He says Ebola cases continue to increase quickly even though health care workers are working extremely hard against the spread.

Doctor Frieden says the number of Ebola cases is now more than 3,000.  He adds that this number is expected to rise quickly in coming weeks.

He warns that there is a window of opportunity to stop Ebola.  But he adds that window is closing.

"There is a window of opportunity to tamp⁴ this down, but that window is closing.  We need action now to scale up the response."

The C.D.C. chief says the Ebola virus is spreading in two ways: from patients to care givers and through unsafe treatment of the dead.

"It’s spreading from just two roots; people caring for other people in hospitals or homes and unsafe burial practices where people may come into contact with body fluids from somebody who’s died from Ebola.  That is really the Achilles’ heel (weakness) of this virus.  We know how it spreads.  We know how to stop it from spreading.  The challenge is to do that everywhere it’s needed."

Before leaving for Europe, President Obama videotaped a message for the people of West Africa.

"On behalf of the American people, I want you to know that our prayers are with those of you who have lost loved ones during this terrible outbreak of Ebola."

Mr. Obama says he hoped to clear some of the misunderstanding about the spread of Ebola.  He says infection only comes through contact with an infected person or the body fluids of someone who has died of Ebola.

"That’s why the disease is continuing to spread where patients are being cared for at home or during burials when family and friends lay their loved ones to rest."

He says people can respect their traditions and honor the dead “without risking the lives of the living.” 

Doctor Frieden warns that each day’s delay in dealing⁵ with the Ebola spread makes it more difficult to stop. The CDC director says resources, technical experts and a worldwide, organized and unified⁶ plan are needed.  He says Ebola is not only an African problem, but a world problem.

The president of the medical aid group Doctors without Borders (MSF) made similar comments at the United Nations.  Joanne Liu said the world is losing the battle to contain Ebola.  She spoke about the increasing chaos⁷ of the situation.

"Riots are breaking out, isolation⁸ centers are overwhelmed, and health workers on the front lines are becoming infected and are dying in shocking numbers.  Others have fled in fear leaving people without care for even the most common illnesses (and) entire health systems have crumbled⁹."

Ms. Liu said the centers have become places where people go to die alone.  

U.S. health officials have announced an agreement with a California-based drugmaker, Mapp Biopharmaceuticals.  The deal calls for the company to speed development of the experimental Ebola medicine ZMapp.  ZMapp has not been tested on humans.

But, two American medical missionaries¹⁰ who got Ebola were treated with the drug and recovered. One of them, Dr. Kent Brantly, told NBC television he had not been sure he would survive.

"I don’t think they (attending physicians) ever said, ‘Kent, you are about to die.’ But I felt like I was about to die.  And, I said to the nurse who was taking care of me, ‘I’m sick, I have no reserve and I don’t know how long I can keep this up.’"

Mr. Brantly was released from Emory University Hospital in Atlanta.  He said he is in “tearful prayer” for yet another American doctor who has been infected with Ebola while working in Liberia.  The doctor of obstetrics, or childbirth, has separated himself from other people since the signs of the disease appeared. 

All three Americans work for the North Carolina-based Christian¹¹ aid group SIM International.

1 epidemic   

n.流行病；盛行；adj.流行性的，流传极广的

参考例句：

• That kind of epidemic disease has long been stamped out.那种传染病早已绝迹。
• The authorities tried to localise the epidemic.当局试图把流行病限制在局部范围。

2 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

3 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

4 tamp   

v.捣实，砸实

参考例句：

• Then I tamp down the soil with the back of a rake.然后我用耙子的背将土壤拍实。
• Philpott tamped a wad of tobacco into his pipe.菲尔波特往烟斗里塞了一卷碎烟叶。

5 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

6 unified   

(unify 的过去式和过去分词)； 统一的； 统一标准的； 一元化的

参考例句：

• The teacher unified the answer of her pupil with hers. 老师核对了学生的答案。
• The First Emperor of Qin unified China in 221 B.C. 秦始皇于公元前221年统一中国。

7 chaos   

n.混乱，无秩序

参考例句：

• After the failure of electricity supply the city was in chaos.停电后，城市一片混乱。
• The typhoon left chaos behind it.台风后一片混乱。

8 isolation   

n.隔离，孤立，分解，分离

参考例句：

• The millionaire lived in complete isolation from the outside world.这位富翁过着与世隔绝的生活。
• He retired and lived in relative isolation.他退休后，生活比较孤寂。

9 crumbled   

（把…）弄碎， （使）碎成细屑( crumble的过去式和过去分词 )； 衰落； 坍塌； 损坏

参考例句：

• He crumbled the bread in his fingers. 他用手指把面包捻碎。
• Our hopes crumbled when the business went bankrupt. 商行破产了，我们的希望也破灭了。

10 missionaries   

n.传教士( missionary的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Some missionaries came from England in the Qing Dynasty. 清朝时，从英国来了一些传教士。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The missionaries rebuked the natives for worshipping images. 传教士指责当地人崇拜偶像。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

11 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。