VOA常速英语2007年-WHO Says Global Polio Eradication On Track

By Lisa Schlein
Geneva
24 December 2007

The World Health Organization says the most infectious type of polio could be eradicated¹ worldwide by next year, leaving only one more strain of the disease to be tackled. WHO, which began its global polio eradication² campaign in 1988, says it is on track to rid the world of this crippling disease. Lisa Schlein reports for VOA from WHO headquarters in Geneva.

There are three types of wild poliovirus. Type-two polio disappeared from the world in the late 1990s. The World Health Organization is now concentrating its efforts on tackling type-one polio, the most virulent³ strain, before moving on to rid the world of type-three, the last remaining strain of this disease.

WHO Assistant Director-General for Health Security, David Heymann, says there is renewed optimism that this battle can be won because a new, better polio vaccine⁴ is available..

"In fact, type-one polio could be eradicated from the world some time next year we believe if activities continue, because this vaccine has been so effective in interrupting transmission in some of the major reservoirs of polio...21...and then we would remain with type three, which is also being addressed by monovalent vaccines⁵ and those vaccines have just come into use recently," said Heymann.

The monovalent oral polio vaccine uses only the attenuated⁶ strain of type-one poliovirus and only immunizes against that strain of the disease. A monovalent vaccine now has been developed that immunizes children against the type-three poliovirus.

When the World Health Organization launched its global polio eradication campaign in 1988, more than 1,000 children a day became infected with this paralytic⁷ disease. This year, only 765 cases have been reported, compared to less than 2,000 last year.

Doctor Heymann says polio remains⁸ endemic in only four countries - Nigeria, India, Pakistan and Afghanistan.

"Type-one polio is the polio that was occurring in northern Nigeria and it is the virus that spreads very easily from person to person and country to country. It spreads very rapidly," he said. "And, what happened was when Nigeria stopped vaccinating⁹ back in 2003, the virus spread to countries throughout Africa and all the way over into Indonesia and Saudi Arabia and many of these countries did not have a high enough protection rate to prevent outbreaks."

Doctor Heymann says type-one polio appears to have been wiped out in India and the country now is intensively trying to get rid of type-three polio.

Doctor Heymann says the biggest threat to polio eradication is lack of money. He says the campaign needs $250 million to carry out its immunization work next year.

1 eradicated   

画着根的

参考例句：

• Polio has been virtually eradicated in Brazil. 在巴西脊髓灰质炎实际上已经根除。
• The disease has been eradicated from the world. 这种疾病已在全世界得到根除。

2 eradication   

n.根除

参考例句：

• The eradication of an established infestation is not easy. 根除昆虫蔓延是不容易的。
• This is often required for intelligent control and eradication. 这经常需要灵巧的控制与消除。

3 virulent   

adj.有毒的，有恶意的，充满敌意的

参考例句：

• She is very virulent about her former employer.她对她过去的老板恨之入骨。
• I stood up for her despite the virulent criticism.尽管她遭到恶毒的批评，我还是维护她。

4 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。

5 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。

6 attenuated   

v.（使）变细( attenuate的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）变薄；（使）变小；减弱

参考例句：

• an attenuated form of the virus 毒性已衰减的病毒
• You're a seraphic suggestion of attenuated thought . 你的思想是轻灵得如同天使一般的。 来自辞典例句

7 paralytic   

adj. 瘫痪的 n. 瘫痪病人

参考例句：

• She was completely paralytic last night.她昨天晚上喝得酩酊大醉。
• She rose and hobbled to me on her paralytic legs and kissed me.她站起来，拖着她那麻痹的双腿一瘸一拐地走到我身边，吻了吻我。

8 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

9 vaccinating   

给…接种疫苗( vaccinate的现在分词 )； 注射疫苗，接种疫苗

参考例句：

• At first blush, vaccinating the wolves against rabies seems a simple solution. 乍一看来，为狼群注射防狂犬病疫苗是一种简单的办法。
• Also vaccinating children against misers (measles) has saved many lives. 还有，给儿童进行疫苗接种防止麻疹也挽救了许多生命。