东帝汶9人死于登革热

 

Dengue Fever Epidemic¹ Kills Nine in East Timor

东帝汶9人死于登革热

 

Australian soldiers and medical experts from the World Health Organization are helping² the East Timorese government cope with an outbreak of dengue fever that has killed nine people this month.

 

The dengue fever outbreak, which followed the onset³ of heavy rains, prompted an SOS to the international community earlier this week from East Timor's minister for health, Dr. Rui Araujo.

 

The response has been swift. An Australian army medical team has put itself at the disposal of the government, while the World Health Organization plans to fly in experts from Thailand to treat the dangerous hemorrhagic form of dengue that is occurring here.

 

Extra measures are being taken to protect facilities occupied by the 470 United Nations troops still stationed in East Timor. These include spraying barracks with insecticide every day and providing mosquito repellants in canteens.

 

Like malaria⁴, dengue is spread by mosquitoes, which breed in standing⁵ water. The symptoms are sudden high fever, severe headache and pain behind the eyes. Medical experts say that without proper treatment, fatality⁶ rates from the hemorrhagic form of the disease can exceed 20 percent.

 

Dr. Alex Anbjaparidze is coordinating⁷ the WHO response here, which is being backed by funds from the United States and Japan.

 

Dr. Alex Anbjaparidze: At this stage we have 67 cases which have been hospitalized. But at the same time we are collecting information from other districts: there is the possibility that numbers will increase. So far nine people have died, mostly they are the children under four years.

 

Dili's community of foreign U.N. staff and aid workers has also been affected⁸ by the outbreak. Mark Hampson, the doctor for Australian embassy, says he has treated 20 cases of dengue in the past three weeks. These cases are in addition to the 67 the WHO and ministry⁹ of health have found.

 

So far the outbreak has been confined to Dili and two surrounding districts. But there are fears that it could spread and health officials are checking reports of cases in the eastern town of Baucao.

 

Dr. Anbjaparidze says people need to be educated about the risk of dengue and about the preventive measures they can take.

 

Dr. Alex Anbjaparidze: This mosquito, called the Aedes aegypti, lives with the human beings, where the humans are staying, and particularly in areas where there is some shortage of drinking water. And population tries to keep the jugs¹⁰ with the water without covering, this is the best breeding place for the mosquitoes.

 

The WHO estimates that 2.5 billion people - two fifths of the world's population - are now at risk from dengue.

 

This is Douglas Keatinge for VOA news in Dili.

 

注释：

onset [5Cnset] n. 开始，发作

hemorrhagic [5hemEridVik] 出血的

barrack [5bArEk] n. 临时性木板房，简陋的房屋

mosquito repellant 驱蚊剂，驱蚊药水

canteen [kAn5ti:n] n. 小卖部

malaria [mE5lZEriE] n. 疟疾，瘴气

symptom [5simptEm] n. 症状，征兆

be confined to 禁闭

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 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。

3 onset   

n.进攻，袭击，开始，突然开始

参考例句：

• The drug must be taken from the onset of the infection.这种药必须在感染的最初期就开始服用。
• Our troops withstood the onset of the enemy.我们的部队抵挡住了敌人的进攻。

4 malaria   

n.疟疾

参考例句：

• He had frequent attacks of malaria.他常患疟疾。
• Malaria is a kind of serious malady.疟疾是一种严重的疾病。

5 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

6 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。

7 coordinating   

v.使协调，使调和( coordinate的现在分词 )；协调；协同；成为同等

参考例句：

• He abolished the Operations Coordinating Board and the Planning Board. 他废除了行动协调委员会和计划委员会。 来自辞典例句
• He's coordinating the wedding, and then we're not going to invite him? 他是来协调婚礼的，难道我们不去请他？ 来自电影对白

8 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。

9 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

10 jugs   

（有柄及小口的）水壶( jug的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Two china jugs held steaming gravy. 两个瓷罐子装着热气腾腾的肉卤。
• Jugs-Big wall lingo for Jumars or any other type of ascenders. 大岩壁术语，祝玛式上升器或其它种类的上升器。