2007年VOA标准英语-WHO Confirms 8 New Ebola Cases in Congo

By Kari Barber
Dakar
25 September 2007

The World Health Organization says eight new cases of the deadly Ebola virus have been confirmed in the Democratic Republic of Congo. This brings the number of confirmed cases to 17 since the new outbreak was first identified earlier this month. Kari Barber has more from VOA's West and Central Africa bureau in Dakar.

WHO spokeswoman in DRC, Christiana Salvi, says the eight new cases came from 42 samples taken from the central West Kasai region.

She says she is hopeful new mobile laboratories, which health officials are to begin using in the next couple of days, will help speed up diagnosis¹ of the highly contagious² disease. Without the mobile labs, samples are being sent abroad for analysis.

"From that time on we will be able to have a much more ready diagnosis for the samples," Salvi said. "That will help us tremendously to understand which cases of Ebola are confirmed and to isolate³ them appropriately in order to break the chain of transmission."

Six of the 17 people to contract the disease in what the World Health Organization is calling the first major resurgence⁴ in years have died.

Ebola is characterized by vomiting⁵, diarrhea, fever, pain as well as internal and external bleeding.

About 400 people have become ill in the affected⁶ Kasai region in the past few months and about 170 have died. But the symptoms of Ebola look like other diseases, such as typhoid, so proper identification is crucial.

Salvi says because the area is so remote, getting word out about how to avoid contracting Ebola is a challenge. The World Health Organization is working with journalists on media campaigns to warn against contact with body fluids and blood.

"There is quite a good alert in the population who is quite aware of battling the risk of transmission," she said.

Salvi says health workers are also urging people to report to authorities anyone who might be sick with the virus.

There is no vaccine⁷ or cure for ebola and 50 to 90 percent of people infected die. To contain the virus, those who test positive are isolated⁸.

In the nation's last major outbreak of Ebola in 1995, 245 people died.

1 diagnosis   

n.诊断，诊断结果，调查分析，判断

参考例句：

• His symptoms gave no obvious pointer to a possible diagnosis.他的症状无法作出明确的诊断。
• The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做一次彻底的调查分析。

2 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。

3 isolate   

vt.使孤立，隔离

参考例句：

• Do not isolate yourself from others.不要把自己孤立起来。
• We should never isolate ourselves from the masses.我们永远不能脱离群众。

4 resurgence   

n.再起，复活，再现

参考例句：

• A resurgence of his grief swept over Nim.悲痛又涌上了尼姆的心头。
• Police say drugs traffickers are behind the resurgence of violence.警方说毒贩是暴力活动重新抬头的罪魁祸首。

5 vomiting   

吐

参考例句：

• Symptoms include diarrhoea and vomiting. 症状有腹泻和呕吐。
• Especially when I feel seasick, I can't stand watching someone else vomiting." 尤其晕船的时候，看不得人家呕。”

6 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。

7 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。

8 isolated   

adj.与世隔绝的

参考例句：

• His bad behaviour was just an isolated incident. 他的不良行为只是个别事件。
• Patients with the disease should be isolated. 这种病的患者应予以隔离。