2006年VOA标准英语-Diarrhea Outbreak in Ethiopia Claims Almost 200

By Cathy Majtenyi
Nairobi
20 September 2006

Residents of the Southern Nationalities, Nations and People's State in Ethiopia walk 18 August 2006 through flooded lands from which they have been forced to fleed after massive flashfloods in Tolta, Ethiopia

Close to 200 people are believed to have died from a diarrhea outbreak in Ethiopia made worse by recent floods that contaminated wells and rivers.

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A program coordinator¹ at the Ethiopia office of the International Federation² of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, John Manley, tells VOA recent floods in Ethiopia exacerbated³ the earlier outbreak of acute watery⁴ diarrhea.

"We have a lot of contamination of wells. We have a more difficult sanitation⁵ problem because in some cases, the people would not leave their lands but they are essentially⁶ living in mud and areas where you have no natural filtration anymore," he said. "So those sorts of things will facilitate the spread of diarrhea."

But Manley was quick to point out that the August floods, which killed hundreds, played a small role in the outbreak.

"While there was exacerbation⁷ by the flood, the incidences of acute watery diarrhea are not necessarily coincident with the flooded areas, and in some areas they're in areas that haven't received any flooding at all, totally dry areas," added Manley. "So it's a different problem from the flood and is going to require quite a bit of work I'm afraid."

According to the U.N. children's agency, the outbreak was first reported in April.

A September 19 report by the U.N. Office for the Coordination⁸ of Humanitarian⁹ Affairs reports that some 182 people have died from the outbreak and more than 19,000 have been infected with the condition.

Five regions have been affected¹⁰ by the outbreak, which has spread to the capital, Addis Ababa.

International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies' Manley tells VOA that the Somali region of Ethiopia has been the latest to be hit by the disease. He says he fears the outbreak could spread into Somalia if not contained.

Manley says there have also been many cases of cholera¹¹ being reported.

Central to the spread of acute watery diarrhea is the lack of clean drinking water, often contaminated by sewage.

1 coordinator   

n.协调人

参考例句：

• The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, headed by the Emergency Relief Coordinator, coordinates all UN emergency relief. 联合国人道主义事务协调厅在紧急救济协调员领导下，负责协调联合国的所有紧急救济工作。
• How am I supposed to find the client-relations coordinator? 我怎么才能找到客户关系协调员的办公室？

2 federation   

n.同盟，联邦，联合，联盟，联合会

参考例句：

• It is a federation of 10 regional unions.它是由十个地方工会结合成的联合会。
• Mr.Putin was inaugurated as the President of the Russian Federation.普京正式就任俄罗斯联邦总统。

3 exacerbated   

v.使恶化，使加重( exacerbate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The symptoms may be exacerbated by certain drugs. 这些症状可能会因为某些药物而加重。
• The drugs they gave her only exacerbated the pain. 他们给她吃的药只是加重了她的痛楚。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 watery   

adj.有水的，水汪汪的；湿的，湿润的

参考例句：

• In his watery eyes there is an expression of distrust.他那含泪的眼睛流露出惊惶失措的神情。
• Her eyes became watery because of the smoke.因为烟熏，她的双眼变得泪汪汪的。

5 sanitation   

n.公共卫生，环境卫生，卫生设备

参考例句：

• The location is exceptionally poor,viewed from the sanitation point.从卫生角度来看，这个地段非常糟糕。
• Many illnesses are the result,f inadequate sanitation.许多疾病都来源于不健全的卫生设施。

6 essentially   

adv.本质上，实质上，基本上

参考例句：

• Really great men are essentially modest.真正的伟人大都很谦虚。
• She is an essentially selfish person.她本质上是个自私自利的人。

7 exacerbation   

n.恶化，激怒，增剧；转剧

参考例句：

• Bleeding may be herralded by several day of exacerbation of pain. 数天的疼痛加剧可能为出血的先兆。 来自辞典例句
• For several days, he has had an exacerbation of ulcer symptoms. 近日他溃疡病症状加剧。 来自辞典例句

8 coordination   

n.协调，协作

参考例句：

• Gymnastics is a sport that requires a considerable level of coordination.体操是一项需要高协调性的运动。
• The perfect coordination of the dancers and singers added a rhythmic charm to the performance.舞蹈演员和歌手们配合得很好，使演出更具魅力。

9 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

10 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。

11 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。