2006年VOA标准英语-Nigeria Targets 10 Million Children in Campaign

By Gilbert da Costa
Abuja
27 June 2006

Lawal Manesara who is a polio victim rides on a skate board along a street of Lagos, Nigeria   
  
Nigeria is to launch an ambitious immunization strategy to halt the spread of polio in Africa's most populous¹ country this week. Nigeria has come under pressure to act, following criticisms that it is responsible for the global spread of the crippling disease.

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Figures from the National Program on Immunization, says Nigeria has recorded 467 new cases of polio this year, compared with 224 for the whole of last year. Experts say this represents a significant increase in polio infections and a threat to global efforts to wipe out the disease.

NPI Chief Executive, Dr. Edugie Abebe, denies the new initiative to vaccinate² about 10 million children below the age of five, was dictated³ by outside pressure.

"Polio affects Nigerian children and we do not want our children to be paralyzed," said Dr. Abebe.  "So, there are so many reasons why we are intensifying⁴ our efforts, not only for polio, but for routine immunization to make sure that our children are all protected against vaccine⁵ preventable diseases."

States in the north accounts for nearly all cases of polio in Nigeria. The predominantly Muslim-north in 2003 banned polio vaccination⁶ over allegations that the vaccines⁷ were contaminated and could make Muslims infertile⁸ or infect them with HIV/AIDS.

The year-long ban triggered a steep increase in polio infections and the virus spread from northern Nigeria to many other countries.

Dr. Abebe says Nigeria is gradually reversing the trend and there is now the prospect⁹ of eradicating¹⁰ the disease within two years.

"I believe that if we continue the way we are doing, engaging the states and local governments, before the end of the year, we would have made significant inroad into reducing the transmission of the wild polio virus," added Dr. Abebe.  "But I do not see us interrupting till maybe next year. And once we have interrupted and we have beefed up our routine immunization campaigns, yes in another two years, Nigeria can also belong to the other league of nations that can boast of eradicating poliomyelitis."

The new vaccination strategy known as Immunization Plus will involve delivering the oral polio vaccine as part of a package that includes measles¹¹, diphtheria, whooping¹² cough and tetanus vaccines as well as bed nets to prevent malaria¹³.

The World Health Organization says nearly 2,000 people were infected with polio worldwide last year, more than 700 of them in Africa.

Polio is spread when people, mostly children under five, who are not vaccinated¹⁴, come into contact with the virus. The virus attacks the central nervous system, causing paralysis¹⁵ and deformation¹⁶.

1 populous   

adj.人口稠密的，人口众多的

参考例句：

• London is the most populous area of Britain.伦敦是英国人口最稠密的地区。
• China is the most populous developing country in the world.中国是世界上人口最多的发展中国家。

2 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。

3 dictated   

v.大声讲或读( dictate的过去式和过去分词 )；口授；支配；摆布

参考例句：

• He dictated a letter to his secretary. 他向秘书口授信稿。
• No person of a strong character likes to be dictated to. 没有一个个性强的人愿受人使唤。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 intensifying   

v.（使）增强， （使）加剧( intensify的现在分词 )；增辉

参考例句：

• The allies are intensifying their air campaign. 联军部队正加大他们的空战强度。 来自辞典例句
• The rest of the European powers were in a state of intensifying congestion. 其余的欧洲强国则处于越来越拥挤的状态。 来自英汉非文学 - 历史

5 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。

6 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。

7 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。

8 infertile   

adj.不孕的；不肥沃的，贫瘠的

参考例句：

• Plants can't grow well in the infertile land.在贫瘠的土地上庄稼长不好。
• Nobody is willing to till this infertile land.这块薄田没有人愿意耕种。

9 prospect   

n.前景，前途；景色，视野

参考例句：

• This state of things holds out a cheerful prospect.事态呈现出可喜的前景。
• The prospect became more evident.前景变得更加明朗了。

10 eradicating   

摧毁，完全根除( eradicate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Objective: To study the acute and chronic toxicity of Ten-flavor-acne eradicating-capsule. 目的：探讨复方中药合剂十味平痤胶囊的急性及慢性毒性。
• We are on the verge of eradicating polio in the world. 我们已在世界消除小儿？痹症的边缘了。

11 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。

12 whooping   

发嗬嗬声的，发咳声的

参考例句：

• Whooping cough is very prevalent just now. 百日咳正在广泛流行。
• Have you had your child vaccinated against whooping cough? 你给你的孩子打过百日咳疫苗了吗？

13 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。

14 vaccinated   

[医]已接种的，种痘的，接种过疫菌的

参考例句：

• I was vaccinated against tetanus. 我接种了破伤风疫苗。
• Were you vaccinated against smallpox as a child? 你小时候打过天花疫苗吗？

15 paralysis   

n.麻痹(症)；瘫痪(症)

参考例句：

• The paralysis affects his right leg and he can only walk with difficulty.他右腿瘫痪步履维艰。
• The paralysis affects his right leg and he can only walk with difficulty.他右腿瘫痪步履维艰。

16 deformation   

n.形状损坏；变形；畸形

参考例句：

• The deformation frequencies are not sufficiently distinctive.其变形频率不是十分明显的。
• The calculated deformation is almost equal to the real situation by measurement.经检测，计算变形量与实际情况基本一致。