VOA标准英语2009年-Swine Flu Tops List of 2009 Health Iss

In March, the virus caught the attention of health officials in Mexico when cases of a flu-like illness were reported in the state of Veracruz. The transmission of the virus was so rapid that by mid-June the WHO declared the first flu pandemic in more than four decades.

Melinda Smith | Washington 25 December 2009

 
In early 2009, Mexico was the epicenter of a mysterious outbreak. A severe respiratory illness was affecting young people, contrary to seasonal¹ viruses that often attack the elderly. 

Health officials in Mexico and the United States were puzzled by a virus that combined elements of swine, avian and human influenza².

It was nicknamed Swine Flu, although a few months later public health experts began calling it by its proper name: H1N1. 

Because Mexico is a popular tourist destination, Swine Flu quickly spread beyond North America to parts of Europe and Asia.

Dr. Margaret Chan, Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO), began a series of daily briefings to track H1N1 as it spread around the globe.

On June 11th, she announced the WHO was raising it to a pandemic.

"The virus is spreading under a close and careful watch," she said.  "No previous pandemic has been detected so early or watched so closely, in real-time, right at the very beginning."

The WHO authorized³ drug manufacturers to begin testing possible vaccines⁴, and the first human trials began a month later. 

By October, the first batches⁵ were distributed to health care workers, pregnant women, young people and those with underlying⁶ medical conditions.  

Dr. Anne Schuchat is director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"As the supply increases, we do think that access and convenience and ease of getting vaccinated⁷ will improve," she said

By late December, WHO reported that more than 10,000 people had died from H1N1.  Most of those deaths occurred in North America.
 
WHO says many countries have stopped counting the people with milder cases.

The virus appeared to be leveling off in North America and Europe by year's end.  But some experts say it could come back in a third wave early next year.

In the United States in 2009, new recommendations on mammograms by a government appointed panel of experts fueled a controversy⁸ around breast cancer and how to prevent it.

For decades, American women were urged to get yearly mammograms, starting at age 40, as part of screening for breast cancer.

But the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force advised women in their 40s to delay their first mammogram until age 50, and after 50, schedule the x-ray every other year.

By late November, many American doctors and women said they were unhappy with the new guidelines. 

Doctors like Sharon Rosenbaum Smith of St. Luke's Roosevelt Hospital in New York said they would advise patients to ignore the recommendations.

"They need to start getting mammograms at age 40," she said.  "Mammograms pick up cancers when they're smaller."

Feeling the backlash, Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius advised patients to stay calm and talk with their doctor.

"Figure out your own health situation with your doctor, your family history.  Those are the really important ingredients," said HHS Secretary Sebelius.

As 2009 came to a close, suicides in the U.S. Army reached record levels.  U.S. Army personnel predicted the suicide rate would be higher than the total in 2008.  The Army launched a study into possible causes.

Vice⁹ Chief of Staff, General Peter Chiarelli, said military personnel must be more aggressive in getting treatment for mentally ill soldiers.

"It is absolutely unacceptable to have individuals suffering in silence because they're afraid their peers or superiors will make fun of them, or worse, it will adversely¹⁰ affect their careers," he said.

The year 2009 did produce some hopeful news.  In September, the United Nations said the estimated number of deaths of children under age five had dropped from the previous year.

A UN report said it was the first time that deaths of children had dropped below nine million. 

More immunizations, greater use of insecticide-treated nets to prevent malaria¹¹, programs to promote breastfeeding and better treatment of diarrhea and pneumonia¹² were cited as reasons.
 

1 seasonal   

adj.季节的，季节性的

参考例句：

• The town relies on the seasonal tourist industry for jobs.这个城镇依靠季节性旅游业提供就业机会。
• The hors d'oeuvre is seasonal vegetables.餐前小吃是应时蔬菜。

2 influenza   

n.流行性感冒，流感

参考例句：

• They took steps to prevent the spread of influenza.他们采取措施
• Influenza is an infectious disease.流感是一种传染病。

3 authorized   

a.委任的，许可的

参考例句：

• An administrative order is valid if authorized by a statute.如果一个行政命令得到一个法规的认可那么这个命令就是有效的。

4 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。

5 batches   

一批( batch的名词复数 )； 一炉； （食物、药物等的）一批生产的量； 成批作业

参考例句：

• The prisoners were led out in batches and shot. 这些囚犯被分批带出去枪毙了。
• The stainless drum may be used to make larger batches. 不锈钢转数设备可用来加工批量大的料。

6 underlying   

adj.在下面的，含蓄的，潜在的

参考例句：

• The underlying theme of the novel is very serious.小说隐含的主题是十分严肃的。
• This word has its underlying meaning.这个单词有它潜在的含义。

7 vaccinated   

[医]已接种的，种痘的，接种过疫菌的

参考例句：

• I was vaccinated against tetanus. 我接种了破伤风疫苗。
• Were you vaccinated against smallpox as a child? 你小时候打过天花疫苗吗？

8 controversy   

n.争论，辩论，争吵

参考例句：

• That is a fact beyond controversy.那是一个无可争论的事实。
• We ran the risk of becoming the butt of every controversy.我们要冒使自己在所有的纷争中都成为众矢之的的风险。

9 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

10 adversely   

ad.有害地

参考例句：

• We commented adversely upon the imbecility of that message of telegraphic style. 我们对着这条电报式的愚蠢的留言发泄了一通不满。
• Widely fluctuating exchange rates may adversely affect international trade. 浮动幅度很大的汇率可能会对国际贸易产生有害的影响。

11 malaria   

n.疟疾

参考例句：

• He had frequent attacks of malaria.他常患疟疾。
• Malaria is a kind of serious malady.疟疾是一种严重的疾病。

12 pneumonia   

n.肺炎

参考例句：

• Cage was struck with pneumonia in her youth.凯奇年轻时得过肺炎。
• Pneumonia carried him off last week.肺炎上星期夺去了他的生命。