VOA标准英语2009年-WHO Says Monsoon Season Increases Health R

The World Health Organization warns about two-million internally displaced people in Pakistan's Swat Valley are at increased risk of getting ill during the upcoming monsoon¹ season. The World Health Organization said it may not be able to help all those in need because of lack of funds.

The monsoon season is looming². And, for many of the two-million people in Pakistan's conflict-ridden Swat Valley who were forced to flee their homes, this could spell trouble.
　
WHO Assistant Director-General, Dr. Eric Laroche (File)

WHO Assistant Director-General, Dr. Eric Laroche is in Pakistan looking at the condition of the camps and assessing the needs. In a telephone interview from Islamabad, he told journalists here in Geneva there is likely to be an upsurge of diseases during the upcoming rainy season.

He said he expects outbreaks of water-borne diseases, particularly diarrhea, acute respiratory infections and malaria³.

"We need to be pre-positioning drugs against diarrhea, drugs against pneumonia⁴, drugs against malaria and soon, mosquito nets. Everything is geared toward treating these diseases," he said.

But, money is a problem. Dr. Laroche said the World Health Organization has only received $2 million of its $10 million appeal for essential drugs. He said lack of money will make it very difficult to contain disease outbreaks.

About two-million people fled their homes during the peak of fighting between the Pakistani government and Taliban militants⁶. About 10 percent, or 200,000 of them are in camps. The other 90 percent are staying with family and friends.

Dr. Laroche said he is most worried about that group, the 90 percent or 1.8 million internally displaced people living with host families. He said the camps are well run and have health-care facilities for treating the sick and injured. He said such care is not available for the people living in private homes.

He said the over-crowded conditions in host families will lead to a lot of health problems and increased disease. He said a major challenge facing WHO is to try to reach these people and provide them with preventive care to ward⁵ off disease. And, if that fails, he said health workers must be able to provide sick people with life-saving treatment.

1 monsoon   

n.季雨，季风，大雨

参考例句：

• The monsoon rains started early this year.今年季雨降雨开始得早。
• The main climate type in that region is monsoon.那个地区主要以季风气候为主要气候类型。

2 looming   

n.上现蜃景（光通过低层大气发生异常折射形成的一种海市蜃楼）v.隐约出现，阴森地逼近( loom的现在分词 )；隐约出现，阴森地逼近

参考例句：

• The foothills were looming ahead through the haze. 丘陵地带透过薄雾朦胧地出现在眼前。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Then they looked up. Looming above them was Mount Proteome. 接着他们往上看，在其上隐约看到的是蛋白质组山。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 回顾与展望

3 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。

4 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。

5 ward   

n.守卫，监护，病房，行政区，由监护人或法院保护的人（尤指儿童）；vt.守护，躲开

参考例句：

• The hospital has a medical ward and a surgical ward.这家医院有内科病房和外科病房。
• During the evening picnic,I'll carry a torch to ward off the bugs.傍晚野餐时，我要点根火把，抵挡蚊虫。

6 militants   

激进分子，好斗分子( militant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The militants have been sporadically fighting the government for years. 几年来，反叛分子一直对政府实施零星的战斗。
• Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets. 尽管如此，巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。