VOA常速英语2008年-WHO Warns Drug-Resistant TB Growing

By Lisa Schlein
Geneva
26 February 2008

The World Health Organization (WHO) warns multi-drug resistant¹ tuberculosis² is growing, as is the more deadly form of XDR-TB, or extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis.  A new report, which surveyed 90,000 tuberculosis patients in 81 countries between 2002 and 2006, records the highest rates of multi-drug resistant tuberculosis ever found.  Lisa Schlein reports for VOA from WHO headquarters in Geneva.

Every year, the World Health Organization estimates there are nine million new cases of TB worldwide.  The survey results indicate 500,000 of these new cases are multi-drug resistant TB. 

The highest rates were found in countries of the former Soviet³ Union, with nearly one-quarter of the MDR-TB cases recorded in Azerbaijan, followed by Moldova, Ukraine, Russia, and Uzbekistan.

WHO Coordinator⁴ for TB/HIV and Drug Resistance, Paul Nunn, tells VOA the breakup of the Soviet Union and the collapse⁵ of the economy weakened the TB-control measures that had been in place.  He says a study of two administrative⁶ provinces in the Russian Federation⁷ shows overall TB rates are coming down, but the proportion and number of MDR-TB cases is rising.

"So, this is of extreme concern.  It raises the possibility that the epidemic⁸ we have in that region of drug-susceptible TB is being replaced by multi-drug resistance or even extensively drug resistant TB, which seriously restrict treatment options with a significant increase in mortality between the two, MDR and XDR treatment," he said. 

Surveys in China also suggest that drug-resistant TB is widespread in that country.

Tuberculosis can be successfully and inexpensively treated in six months.  The bacteria responsible for TB become resistant when people do not complete a full course of medication. 

Multi-drug resistant TB does not respond to the main drugs used in treating TB and requires treatment with very expensive drugs over two years.

Extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis is resistant to almost all drugs used to treat TB.  Dr. Nunn says XDR-TB was discovered in patients in 45 of the 81 countries surveyed. 

"In extensively drug-resistant TB, your XDR-TB, it does depend to some extent on the precise resistance pattern," he explained.  "But the mortality rate in this group of patients is very high, especially if it is linked with HIV[/AIDS]." 

Dr. Nunn notes the true scale of the problem remains⁹ unknown in sub-Saharan Africa, the region with the highest incidence of TB and HIV/AIDS.   He says only six countries in Africa were able to provide drug resistance data for the report. 

This is because other countries in the region lack the equipment and trained personnel needed to identify the disease.  

He warns it is likely that drug-resistance will rise, get into the HIV population and be rapidly transmitted to other HIV sufferers.

The World Health Organization says faster and better diagnostic tools as well as new drugs are needed to treat resistant strains of tuberculosis.

1 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。

2 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。

3 Soviet   

adj.苏联的，苏维埃的；n.苏维埃

参考例句：

• Zhukov was a marshal of the former Soviet Union.朱可夫是前苏联的一位元帅。
• Germany began to attack the Soviet Union in 1941.德国在1941年开始进攻苏联。

4 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？

5 collapse   

vi.累倒；昏倒；倒塌；塌陷

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。
• The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做了一次彻底的调查分析。

6 administrative   

adj.行政的，管理的

参考例句：

• The administrative burden must be lifted from local government.必须解除地方政府的行政负担。
• He regarded all these administrative details as beneath his notice.他认为行政管理上的这些琐事都不值一顾。

7 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。

8 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。

9 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。