VOA健康报道2024--WHO Calls for Donations after Declaring Mpox a 'Health Emergency'

The World Health Organization is calling for donations to fight the latest outbreak of the viral disease mpox in Africa.

The U.N. health agency declared mpox in Africa a "public health emergency of international concern" last week.

The director-general of the WHO, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, made the announcement after a meeting of the WHO's emergency committee. The move follows a declaration by the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC). That organization declared mpox a public health emergency in Africa one day earlier.

The WHO said there have been more than 14,000 cases and more than 524 deaths in Africa this year. So far, about 96 percent of all cases and deaths have taken place in one country: the Democratic Republic of the Congo. But the WHO and others are concerned that a new version of the viral disease could spread more easily among people.

The Associated Press recently reported some of the information known about the current mpox outbreak.

What is mpox?

Mpox is also known as monkeypox. The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the viral disease was first identified by scientists in 1958 when outbreaks of a "pox-like" disease appeared in monkeys. Until recently, most human cases involved people in central and West Africa who had contact with infected animals.

In 2022, experts confirmed that the virus could be spread through sex. Outbreaks were reported in more than 70 countries that had not reported the disease before.

Mpox belongs to the same virus family as smallpox¹. It causes symptoms like high body temperature, chills and body pain. People with serious cases can develop lesions on the face, hands, chest and sex organs.

What is happening in Africa?

The number of cases has increased sharply in the last few weeks. The Africa CDC said the disease has been identified in at least 13 African countries. Compared to the same period last year, the agency said cases have increased by 160 percent and deaths by 19 percent.

The version of mpox seen in the Democratic Republic of the Congo could kill up to 10 percent of people infected. Unlike earlier mpox outbreaks, where lesions were mostly seen on the chest, hands and feet, the new form of mpox causes less severe symptoms. This could make the disease harder to identify.

The WHO said mpox was recently reported for the first time in four East African countries: Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda. All of those cases were linked to the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In the Ivory Coast and South Africa, health officials have reported a less dangerous version of mpox than the one that spread in 2022.

The WHO's declaration

The WHO's emergency declaration is meant to get donors² to provide money for a campaign against the disease.

African CDC Director General Dr. Jean Kaseya said the agency's declaration of a public emergency was meant "to mobilize our institutions, our collective will and our resources."

Michael Marks teaches medicine at the London School of Hygiene³ and Tropical Medicine. He said, "It is clear that current control strategies aren't working and there is a clear need for more resources."

What is different from 2022?

Most of the cases during the 2022 outbreak of the viral disease were gay and bisexual men. The virus was spread through close contact and sex.

Although similar things are happening in Africa, children under the age of 15 now make up more than 70 percent of mpox cases and 85 percent of deaths in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

WHO chief Tedros said officials are dealing⁴ with several outbreaks and, what he called, "different modes of transmission and different levels of risk."

Greg Ramm is with the aid group Save the Children. He said his organization is worried about mpox spreading in crowded refugee camps. He said there were 345,000 children living in unhealthy conditions in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. Ramm added that the country's health system is already "collapsing⁵" because of malnutrition⁶, measles⁷ and cholera⁸.

Dr. Boghuma Titanji is an infectious disease expert at Emory University in the American state of Georgia. She said it is unclear why the disease is mostly affecting children in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. She said children might become infected more easily or social conditions like overcrowding or infected parents might explain the problem.

How might mpox be stopped

The AP says in 2022, developed countries stopped the outbreak of mpox with treatments and vaccines¹⁰. But few vaccines are available in Africa.

Marks said the immunization would likely help - including vaccination¹¹ against the similar smallpox virus. He said, "We need a large supply of vaccine⁹ so that we can vaccinate¹² populations most at risk." He said that would mean vaccinating¹³ children, sex workers and adults in affected¹⁴ areas.

The WHO has already released $1.45 million of emergency money for mpox. But the U.N. agency says $15 million is needed to start efforts to combat the disease.

Words in This Story

mode -n. a way that something happens

transmission -n. (medical) the process of spreading or infecting

mobilize -v. to cause people to take part in an effort or campaign

lesions -n. (medical) an area of infected skin that is usually swollen¹⁵, red, bleeding or releasing fluid

symptoms -n. signs that an infection is present

institutions -n. a large organization that has been established for a long time

1 smallpox   

n.天花

参考例句：

• In 1742 he suffered a fatal attack of smallpox.1742年，他染上了致命的天花。
• Were you vaccinated against smallpox as a child?你小时候打过天花疫苗吗？

2 donors   

n.捐赠者( donor的名词复数 )；献血者；捐血者；器官捐献者

参考例句：

• Please email us to be removed from our active list of blood donors. 假如你想把自己的名字从献血联系人名单中删去，请给我们发电子邮件。
• About half this amount comes from individual donors and bequests. 这笔钱大约有一半来自个人捐赠及遗赠。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 hygiene   

n.健康法，卫生学 （a.hygienic）

参考例句：

• Their course of study includes elementary hygiene and medical theory.他们的课程包括基础卫生学和医疗知识。
• He's going to give us a lecture on public hygiene.他要给我们作关于公共卫生方面的报告。

4 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。

5 collapsing   

压扁[平]，毁坏，断裂

参考例句：

• Rescuers used props to stop the roof of the tunnel collapsing. 救援人员用支柱防止隧道顶塌陷。
• The rocks were folded by collapsing into the center of the trough. 岩石由于坍陷进入凹槽的中心而发生褶皱。

6 malnutrition   

n.营养不良

参考例句：

• In Africa, there are a lot of children suffering from severe malnutrition.在非洲有大批严重营养不良的孩子。
• It is a classic case of malnutrition. 这是营养不良的典型病例。

7 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。

8 cholera   

n.霍乱

参考例句：

• The cholera outbreak has been contained.霍乱的发生已被控制住了。
• Cholera spread like wildfire through the camps.霍乱在营地里迅速传播。

9 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。

10 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。

11 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。

12 vaccinate   

vt.给…接种疫苗；种牛痘

参考例句：

• Local health officials then can plan the best times to vaccinate people.这样，当地的卫生官员就可以安排最佳时间给人们接种疫苗。
• Doctors vaccinate us so that we do not catch smallpox.医生给我们打预防针使我们不会得天花。

13 vaccinating   

给…接种疫苗( vaccinate的现在分词 )； 注射疫苗，接种疫苗

参考例句：

• At first blush, vaccinating the wolves against rabies seems a simple solution. 乍一看来，为狼群注射防狂犬病疫苗是一种简单的办法。
• Also vaccinating children against misers (measles) has saved many lives. 还有，给儿童进行疫苗接种防止麻疹也挽救了许多生命。

14 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。

15 swollen   

adj.肿大的，水涨的；v.使变大，肿胀

参考例句：

• Her legs had got swollen from standing up all day.因为整天站着，她的双腿已经肿了。
• A mosquito had bitten her and her arm had swollen up.蚊子叮了她，她的手臂肿起来了。