VOA标准英语2010年-Plan Aims to Cut TB Deaths by Half in

The Partnership¹ to Stop Tuberculosis² has launched a plan to cut by half in five years the estimated 2 million annual deaths from tuberculosis.

The consortium of public, private and civil groups announced the plan Wednesday, saying they hope to prevent 5 million deaths from TB over the next five years through better testing, improved diagnosis³ and more effective drugs.

The Health Commissioner⁴ for Johannesburg's Gauteng Province, Qedani Mahlangu, noted⁵ that South Africa is one of several emerging nations in Africa and Asia with a high incidence of TB. She said this is partly because TB often attacks people whose immune systems have been weakened by the HIV/AIDS virus.

"South Africa has a huge TB problem," said Mahlangu. "And alongside the HIV and AIDS epidemic⁶, it is something we are fully⁷ allied⁸ to [fight] and it is something that as government we are doing all we can to attack, to deal with this problem."

Tuberculosis is a highly contagious⁹ disease that is transmitted usually by the cough of an infected person. Experts say it is preventable and curable, but it often goes undetected and treatment for it is lengthy¹⁰.

The plan hopes to develop new tests that can detect the disease immediately. These would replace current tests that must be sent to special laboratories and, in less developed countries, can take weeks to complete.

The plan also hopes to develop new courses of treatment to replace current regimes that are less effective against new drug-resistant strains of TB.

South Africa Coordinator¹¹ for the Community Initiative for TB Carol Nawina Nyirenda said victims of TB support the plan because it provides a blueprint¹² for eliminating the disease.? "For me and many others out there who live with the reality of TB and TB/HIV, for us this global plan means hope, a hope that countries will take TB seriously, a hope for a future free of TB, a hope for our children and children's' children to have a future free of TB."

Nyirenda added that an important part of the plan is to engage victims of the disease in the effort because that will help reach the targets sooner.

The Partnership says $47 billion will be needed during the next five years to implement¹³ the plan.

The head of the Global Business Coalition¹⁴ on HIV, Tuberculosis and Malaria¹⁵, John Tedstrom, said TB is a concern to business because it affects productivity and the families of employees. "Tuberculosis matters to business. Conquering TB is important to business. And business is going to be a partner in this venture until we are all done."

The Partnership said it faces a funding gap of $14 billion for its plan. It called for the governments of wealthy nations and emerging economies to help meet the shortfall.
 

1 partnership   

n.合作关系，伙伴关系

参考例句：

• The company has gone into partnership with Swiss Bank Corporation.这家公司已经和瑞士银行公司建立合作关系。
• Martin has taken him into general partnership in his company.马丁已让他成为公司的普通合伙人。

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 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。

4 commissioner   

n.（政府厅、局、处等部门）专员，长官，委员

参考例句：

• The commissioner has issued a warrant for her arrest.专员发出了对她的逮捕令。
• He was tapped for police commissioner.他被任命为警务处长。

5 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

6 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。

7 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

8 allied   

adj.协约国的；同盟国的

参考例句：

• Britain was allied with the United States many times in history.历史上英国曾多次与美国结盟。
• Allied forces sustained heavy losses in the first few weeks of the campaign.同盟国在最初几周内遭受了巨大的损失。

9 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。

10 lengthy   

adj.漫长的，冗长的

参考例句：

• We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。
• The professor wrote a lengthy book on Napoleon.教授写了一部有关拿破仑的巨著。

11 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？

12 blueprint   

n.蓝图，设计图，计划；vt.制成蓝图，计划

参考例句：

• All the machine parts on a blueprint must answer each other.设计图上所有的机器部件都应互相配合。
• The documents contain a blueprint for a nuclear device.文件内附有一张核装置的设计蓝图。

13 implement   

n.(pl.)工具，器具；vt.实行，实施，执行

参考例句：

• Don't undertake a project unless you can implement it.不要承担一项计划，除非你能完成这项计划。
• The best implement for digging a garden is a spade.在花园里挖土的最好工具是铁锹。

14 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

15 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。