VOA常速英语2007年-International Health Officials Say Drug-Resista

By Jessica Berman
Washington
01 November 2007

A coalition¹ of international public health officials says drug-resistant² tuberculosis³ is a man-made epidemic⁴ caused by a lack of global response to TB.  The officials say more resources are needed to fight what is an otherwise curable disease.  VOA's Jessica Berman reports.

The World Health Organization estimates that 1.6 million people die each year of tuberculosis. 

The reason there are so many deaths, according to the former U.N. Special Envoy⁵ for HIV/AIDS in Africa Stephen Lewis, is the failure of public health officials to promptly⁶ identify and properly treat people who are infected with TB, a situation that has led to multi-drug resistant forms of tuberculosis. 

The bacterium⁷ that causes TB becomes resistant to antibiotics⁸ when patients fail to complete the entire course of antibiotics, which involves a complicated regimen of antibiotics lasting⁹ up to six months. 

Individuals who are infected with AIDS are particularly vulnerable to TB because of their weakened immune systems. Stephen Lewis says up to 80 percent of people with TB also have AIDS.   Data compiled by the World Health Organization show that the largest number of deaths from tuberculosis are in Africa, where AIDS is rampant¹⁰. 

The global community has committed resources to treat 1.6 million people with tuberculosis by 2015. But Lewis notes there are 420,000 new cases of multi-drug resistant tuberculosis each year.  

And, he says, only two percent of these people are receiving adequate treatment.

"You begin to verge¹¹ in the area of crimes against humanity you know, you begin to wonder when governments are inert¹² and when the international community is in such obvious default, whether there doesn't come a point where these are almost criminal matters, where people are dying in such numbers that you can absolutely stop it and fail to do so," Lewis said.

Drug-resistant tuberculosis comes in two forms.  Multi-drug resistant tuberculosis, or MDR-TB, occurs when the tuberculosis infection is resistant to one or both of the front-line anti-TB drugs, isoniazid and rifampicin. 

The other form is called extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis, or XDR-TB, in which the TB bacterium does not respond to any of the older antibiotics and is resistant to at least one of the newer drugs.

Treatment for drug-resistant tuberculosis involves more radical¹³ treatment.  Those with drug-resistant TB who fail to get the treatment can easily spread the disease to others.

Paul Farmer is founder¹⁴ of  the group Partners in Health.  Farmer says it is a misconception that MDR- or XDR-TB cannot be conquered. 

"The goal in treatment is to have multiple drugs, at least three or four, and sometimes even surgery," he said. "So, if you have an area of the lung that is affected¹⁵, and other parts of the lung that are unaffected, if you have surgical¹⁶ capacity removing that part of the lung can increase cure rates."

If various combinations of old and new antibiotics fail, Farmer says surgery can cure drug-resistant tuberculosis in about 50 percent of patients. 

Nesri Padayatchi of South Africa's Center for the AIDS Program of Research says it is difficult to get financing for TB tests, clinics, personnel and treatments when no one is paying attention.

"I think everyone is really bored with TB," Padayatchi said. "TB is a very, very, very old disease.  And it's really only become very sexy and fashionable because of HIV. And in fact, there should be a lot more attention paid to TB because HIV is strictly¹⁷ a behavioral issue and TB is about breathing really.  It affects everybody."

The comments on TB come ahead of an international conference on tuberculosis next week in South Africa.

1 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

2 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。

3 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。

4 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。

5 envoy   

n.使节，使者，代表，公使

参考例句：

• Their envoy showed no sign of responding to our proposals.他们的代表对我方的提议毫无回应的迹象。
• The government has not yet appointed an envoy to the area.政府尚未向这一地区派过外交官。

6 promptly   

adv.及时地，敏捷地

参考例句：

• He paid the money back promptly.他立即还了钱。
• She promptly seized the opportunity his absence gave her.她立即抓住了因他不在场给她创造的机会。

7 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。

8 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。

9 lasting   

adj.永久的，永恒的；vbl.持续，维持

参考例句：

• The lasting war debased the value of the dollar.持久的战争使美元贬值。
• We hope for a lasting settlement of all these troubles.我们希望这些纠纷能获得永久的解决。

10 rampant   

adj.(植物)蔓生的；狂暴的，无约束的

参考例句：

• Sickness was rampant in the area.该地区疾病蔓延。
• You cannot allow children to rampant through the museum.你不能任由小孩子在博物馆里乱跑。

11 verge   

n.边，边缘；v.接近，濒临

参考例句：

• The country's economy is on the verge of collapse.国家的经济已到了崩溃的边缘。
• She was on the verge of bursting into tears.她快要哭出来了。

12 inert   

adj.无活动能力的，惰性的；迟钝的

参考例句：

• Inert gas studies are providing valuable information about other planets,too.对惰性气体的研究，也提供了有关其它行星的有价值的资料。
• Elemental nitrogen is a very unreactive and inert material.元素氮是一个十分不活跃的惰性物质。

13 radical   

n.激进份子，原子团，根号；adj.根本的，激进的，彻底的

参考例句：

• The patient got a radical cure in the hospital.病人在医院得到了根治。
• She is radical in her demands.她的要求十分偏激。

14 Founder   

n.创始者，缔造者

参考例句：

• He was extolled as the founder of their Florentine school.他被称颂为佛罗伦萨画派的鼻祖。
• According to the old tradition,Romulus was the founder of Rome.按照古老的传说，罗穆卢斯是古罗马的建国者。

15 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。

16 surgical   

adj.外科的，外科医生的，手术上的

参考例句：

• He performs the surgical operations at the Red Cross Hospital.他在红十字会医院做外科手术。
• All surgical instruments must be sterilised before use.所有的外科手术器械在使用之前，必须消毒。

17 strictly   

adv.严厉地，严格地；严密地

参考例句：

• His doctor is dieting him strictly.他的医生严格规定他的饮食。
• The guests were seated strictly in order of precedence.客人严格按照地位高低就座。