四例人类感染禽流感病例在印尼得到证实

Four Human Bird-Flu Cases Confirmed in Indonesia

四例人类感染禽流感病例在印尼得到证实

 

At least four people have died from the H5N1 avian influenza¹ virus in the Indonesian capital of Jakarta since July and dozens more have been admitted to local hospitals with symptoms of the disease, which include high fever and difficulty breathing.

 

But the World Health Organization's spokesman for the Western Pacific, Peter Cordingley, says many of those now in hospital may not be infected with the bird flu virus at all.

 

Mr. Cordingley says Indonesia sends blood from all suspected bird flu cases to Hong Kong for a Polymerase Chain Reaction, or PCR test, and so far only four people - all now dead - have tested positive.

 

Peter Cordingley: WHO figures are that there are four confirmed cases, only four confirmed cases in Indonesia. The reason for the discrepancy², apart from the fact that the media seem to be jumping on all kinds of incidences that might be just old-fashioned flu ... is that we have standards and the standards are that confirmation³ of a positive case has to be through a PCR test.

 

But Mr. Cordingley admits Indonesia does have a bird flu problem, with the H5N1 virus endemic in poultry⁴ across the archipelago.

 

Peter Cordingley: ... yes, quite clearly there is a problem in Indonesia and four cases will not be the final number - we are absolutely sure of that. But we do not think the problem is anything as large as the numbers suggest.

 

The bird flu has killed more than 60 people in Asia since it swept across the region in late 2003 and millions of birds have been culled⁶ to try to stop the spread of the disease.

 

So far, most of the people who have died from H5N1 have caught it from close contact with infected birds.

 

But the WHO has warned that if the virus changes to one easily passed between humans, the resulting pandemic could kill millions of people.

 

Health experts from the United States, Canada, and Australia are now in Indonesia to help the country tackle its bird flu problem.

 

Nancy-Amelia Collins, VOA news, Jakarta.

 

注释：

avian [5eiviEn] adj. 鸟类的

symptom [5simptEm] n. [医]症状

Polymerase Chain Reaction 聚合酶链式反应

discrepancy [dis5krepEnsi] n. 相差，差异

endemic [en5demik] n. 地方病

poultry [5pEultri] n. 家禽

archipelago [7B:ki5peli^Eu] n. 群岛

cull⁵ [kQl] vt. 挑出（病弱动物）杀死

pandemic [pAn5demik] adj.（大范围）传染病的

1 influenza   

n.流行性感冒，流感

参考例句：

• They took steps to prevent the spread of influenza.他们采取措施
• Influenza is an infectious disease.流感是一种传染病。

2 discrepancy   

n.不同；不符；差异；矛盾

参考例句：

• The discrepancy in their ages seemed not to matter.他们之间年龄的差异似乎没有多大关系。
• There was a discrepancy in the two reports of the accident.关于那次事故的两则报道有不一致之处。

3 confirmation   

n.证实，确认，批准

参考例句：

• We are waiting for confirmation of the news.我们正在等待证实那个消息。
• We need confirmation in writing before we can send your order out.给你们发送订购的货物之前，我们需要书面确认。

4 poultry   

n.家禽，禽肉

参考例句：

• There is not much poultry in the shops. 商店里禽肉不太多。
• What do you feed the poultry on? 你们用什么饲料喂养家禽?

5 cull   

v.拣选；剔除；n.拣出的东西；剔除

参考例句：

• It is usually good practice to cull the poorest prior to field planting.通常在实践上的好方法是在出圃栽植前挑出最弱的苗木。
• Laura was passing around photographs she'd culled from the albums at home.劳拉正在分发她从家里相册中挑选出的相片。

6 culled   

v.挑选，剔除( cull的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The herd must be culled. 必须有选择地杀掉部分牧畜。 来自辞典例句
• The facts were culled from various sources. 这些事实是从各方收集到的。 来自辞典例句