2006年VOA标准英语-Drug Resistant TB Is More Widespread Than Previ

By Jessica Berman
Washington
24 December 2006

A new study by the World Health Organization has found drug-resistant¹ tuberculosis² in virtually all of the 79 countries the organization surveyed around the world, with particularly high levels in countries of the former Soviet³ Union and some Chinese provinces. VOA's Jessica Berman reports.

About one third of the world's population is infected with the bacterium⁴ that causes tuberculosis and, every year, nine million people become contagious⁵.

But misuse⁶ of two, potent⁷ antibiotics⁹, izoniazid and rifampacin, has made them ineffective in treating the disease, causing multi-drug resistance, or MDR-TB.

The WHO estimates that in 2004, one-point-seven million people died of TB, many of whom could not be cured with either antibiotic⁸.

Ten years ago, the world body began a project to study TB drug resistance around the globe.

In their latest report, investigators¹⁰ identified the emergence¹¹ of more than 400-thousand new cases of multi-drug resistant tuberculosis in the 79 nations it surveyed, making up about one percent of new TB cases in each country.

But in eight countries, including Kazakhstan and Latvia, and several Chinese provinces, the number of new multi-drug resistant TB cases exceeded six-point-five percent.

Investigators also say they found an increase in resistance to any antibiotic in Tomsk Oblast in Russia and Botswana, while MDR TB decreased in Hong Kong and Cuba.

Mario Ravigiole headed the WHO's tuberculosis surveillance effort. Ravigiole says of antibiotic resistance..."That is a mistake that is generated by weak public health systems, weak clinical practices or, in come cases, malpractices."

By knowing the scope of the MDR-TB problem and where it is located, Raviglione says public health officials can begin to treat tuberculosis properly.

The results of the tuberculosis study were published in the medical journal the Lancet.

1 resistant   

adj.(to)抵抗的，有抵抗力的

参考例句：

• Many pests are resistant to the insecticide.许多害虫对这种杀虫剂有抵抗力。
• They imposed their government by force on the resistant population.他们以武力把自己的统治强加在持反抗态度的人民头上。

2 tuberculosis   

n.结核病，肺结核

参考例句：

• People used to go to special health spring to recover from tuberculosis.人们常去温泉疗养胜地治疗肺结核。
• Tuberculosis is a curable disease.肺结核是一种可治愈的病。

3 Soviet   

adj.苏联的，苏维埃的；n.苏维埃

参考例句：

• Zhukov was a marshal of the former Soviet Union.朱可夫是前苏联的一位元帅。
• Germany began to attack the Soviet Union in 1941.德国在1941年开始进攻苏联。

4 bacterium   

n.(pl.)bacteria 细菌

参考例句：

• The bacterium possibly goes in the human body by the mouth.细菌可能通过口进入人体。
• A bacterium is identified as the cause for his duodenal ulcer.一种细菌被断定为造成他十二指肠溃疡的根源。

5 contagious   

adj.传染性的，有感染力的

参考例句：

• It's a highly contagious infection.这种病极易传染。
• He's got a contagious laugh.他的笑富有感染力。

6 misuse   

n.误用，滥用；vt.误用，滥用

参考例句：

• It disturbs me profoundly that you so misuse your talents.你如此滥用自己的才能，使我深感不安。
• He was sacked for computer misuse.他因滥用计算机而被解雇了。

7 potent   

adj.强有力的，有权势的；有效力的

参考例句：

• The medicine had a potent effect on your disease.这药物对你的病疗效很大。
• We must account of his potent influence.我们必须考虑他的强有力的影响。

8 antibiotic   

adj.抗菌的；n.抗生素

参考例句：

• The doctor said that I should take some antibiotic.医生说我应该服些用抗生素。
• Antibiotic can be used against infection.抗菌素可以用来防止感染。

9 antibiotics   

n.（用作复数）抗生素；（用作单数）抗生物质的研究；抗生素，抗菌素( antibiotic的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• the discovery of antibiotics in the 20th century 20世纪抗生素的发现
• The doctor gave me a prescription for antibiotics. 医生给我开了抗生素。

10 investigators   

n.调查者，审查者( investigator的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• This memo could be the smoking gun that investigators have been looking for. 这份备忘录可能是调查人员一直在寻找的证据。
• The team consisted of six investigators and two secretaries. 这个团队由六个调查人员和两个秘书组成。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 emergence   

n.浮现，显现，出现，（植物）突出体

参考例句：

• The last decade saw the emergence of a dynamic economy.最近10年见证了经济增长的姿态。
• Language emerges and develops with the emergence and development of society.语言是随着社会的产生而产生，随着社会的发展而发展的。