VOA常速英语2013--世界卫生组织誓要根除非洲之角脊髓灰质炎疫情

 

Horn of Africa Polio Outbreak Thwarts¹ Global Eradication² Effort 世界卫生组织誓要根除非洲之角脊髓灰质炎疫情

The global community came tantalizingly³ close earlier this year to ridding the world of polio.  But then in May, the eradication effort took a powerful blow. The virus turned up again in the Horn of Africa, first in Somalia.  

The Banadir region of Somalia, which includes a Mogadishu refugee camp, is thought to be the so-called “engine” of the Horn of Africa polio outbreak.

 包括一个摩加迪沙难民营在内的索马里巴纳迪尔地区被称为非洲之角脊髓灰质炎爆发的“根源地”。

In June, three-year-old Mohamed Naasir became ill.  His mother, Khadija Abdullahi Adam, said soon after one leg became permanently⁴ disabled.

 3岁的穆罕默德·纳斯里在今年6月患上这种疾病。他的母亲哈迪加·阿卜杜拉希·亚当称不久后自己孩子的一条腿成为终身残疾。

“My son was fine, but he started having a high fever which lasted for almost four days," she explained.  "I gave him medicine, but there was no change.  The following morning he said to me ‘Mom, I can’t stand up.’”

 “我的儿子曾经还好,但他开始持续将近四天的发高烧,”她解释道。“我让他服药,但没有改变。第二天上午他对我说:妈妈,我站不起来了。”

The virus has spread at a rapid pace, triggering massive vaccination⁵ efforts.

 飞速传播的病毒引发大规模的疫苗接种工作。

Earlier in 2013, polio was confined to three so-called “endemic countries” -- Nigeria, Afghanistan and Pakistan -- where the virus has never been snuffed out.  Combined there were fewer than 100 cases in those three countries.

 在2013年的早些时候,脊髓灰质炎仅仅局限于尼日利亚、阿富汗和巴基斯坦这三个所谓的“流行病国家”，这里的病毒从未被扼杀。而这三个国家的病例总和少于100例。

Since the virus re-emerged in the Horn of Africa, there have been at least 160 polio cases in Somalia alone, and the virus has spread to Kenya and Ethiopia.

 然而自从病毒再次出现在非洲之角, 仅在索马里就已经有至少160例脊髓灰质炎病例,而且病毒已经扩散到肯尼亚和埃塞俄比亚。

Genetic⁶ analysts⁷ suggest the virus sweeping⁸ through the Horn of Africa is most similar to the strain found in Nigeria.

 遗传分析表明席卷非洲之角的该病毒最类似于在尼日利亚发现的菌株。

Partners working to eradicate⁹ polio, such as the World Health Organization, UNICEF and Rotary¹⁰ International, say the virus can spread more easily in Somalia, which has the largest group of unvaccinated children.  That’s largely because conflict has kept vaccination crews from being able to reach them.  But there are other problems too, according to Rotary International’s Dr. John Sever¹².

 世界卫生组织，联合国儿童基金会及扶轮国际等的组织合作努力根除小儿麻痹症, 这些组织称病毒可以很容易在索马里最大群未接种疫苗的儿童间传播。这主要是由于冲突使得疫苗接种人员无法接近他们。 但根据国际扶轮博士约翰·赛弗称也有其他方面的问题。

“The problems of being remote, problems of distrust on the part of the families, the problems of communication, the problems of mapping and realizing where these people are and they migrate from one area to another,” Sever said.

“偏远问题,家庭的部分不信任问题，沟通问题,测量绘制地图问题及认识到这些人现在在哪里,以及他们从一个区域迁移到另一个等问题比比皆是,” 赛弗说道。

Many families are suspicious of outsiders, especially from the West. 

 许多家庭对外人心存戒备,尤其是来自西方的人。

So for vaccination crews, it is vital that they work with local government and religious leaders, like Somali Islamic scholar Sheikh Abdulkadir Homhamed Soomow.

 所以疫苗接种人员与当地政府及宗教领袖协作就显得至关重要的,比如同索马里伊斯兰学者谢赫·阿卜杜拉迪尔·默罕默德·斯莫的合作就是这样。

“We urge the people of Somalia to be vaccinated¹¹. The doctors tell us that polio can kill and it’s harmful to both adults and children,” he said.

 “我们敦促索马里人民接种疫苗。医生告诉我们脊髓灰质炎可以置人于死地而且大人和孩子同样受到威胁。”他说道。

Recently, global partners pledged $5.5 billion for a five-year plan to end polio once and for all.  The plan, now underway, includes blanketing polio hotspots with vaccination crews, to essentially¹³ corner and kill the enemy.  

 最近全球合作组织承诺55亿美元的5年计划以彻底终结小儿麻痹症。现在正在进行的这一计划包括脊髓灰质炎疫苗接种人员覆盖热点地区,以达到基本上围追堵截杀灭细菌。

“We’re getting closer, that’s the encouraging part," Dr. Sever said, adding that global partners know what to do and still hope to rid the world of polio by 2015. 

“我们已经越来越接近了,这是激动人心的时刻,” 赛弗博士表示全球合作组织知道要做什么,而且还希望到2015年全球根除脊髓灰质炎。

1 thwarts   

阻挠( thwart的第三人称单数 )； 使受挫折； 挫败； 横过

参考例句：

• Matcham steady and alert, at a sign from Dick, ran along the thwarts and leaped ashore. 麦青机警、镇静地照着狄克向他做的手势，急急地沿着船上的座板，跳到岸上。
• He laid himself down under the thwarts and waited, panting. 躺在坐板下面，气喘吁吁地等着开船。

2 eradication   

n.根除

参考例句：

• The eradication of an established infestation is not easy. 根除昆虫蔓延是不容易的。
• This is often required for intelligent control and eradication. 这经常需要灵巧的控制与消除。

3 tantalizingly   

adv.…得令人着急，…到令人着急的程度

参考例句：

• A band of caribou passed by, twenty and odd animals, tantalizingly within rifle range. 一群驯鹿走了过去，大约有二十多头，都呆在可望而不可即的来福枪的射程以内。 来自英汉文学 - 热爱生命
• She smiled at him tantalizingly. 她引诱性地对他笑着。 来自互联网

4 permanently   

adv.永恒地，永久地，固定不变地

参考例句：

• The accident left him permanently scarred.那次事故给他留下了永久的伤疤。
• The ship is now permanently moored on the Thames in London.该船现在永久地停泊在伦敦泰晤士河边。

5 vaccination   

n.接种疫苗，种痘

参考例句：

• Vaccination is a preventive against smallpox.种痘是预防天花的方法。
• Doctors suggest getting a tetanus vaccination every ten years.医生建议每十年注射一次破伤风疫苗。

6 genetic   

adj.遗传的，遗传学的

参考例句：

• It's very difficult to treat genetic diseases.遗传性疾病治疗起来很困难。
• Each daughter cell can receive a full complement of the genetic information.每个子细胞可以收到遗传信息的一个完全补偿物。

7 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

8 sweeping   

adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的

参考例句：

• The citizens voted for sweeping reforms.公民投票支持全面的改革。
• Can you hear the wind sweeping through the branches?你能听到风掠过树枝的声音吗？

9 eradicate   

v.根除，消灭，杜绝

参考例句：

• These insects are very difficult to eradicate.这些昆虫很难根除。
• They are already battling to eradicate illnesses such as malaria and tetanus.他们已经在努力消灭疟疾、破伤风等疾病。

10 rotary   

adj.(运动等)旋转的；轮转的；转动的

参考例句：

• The central unit is a rotary drum.核心设备是一个旋转的滚筒。
• A rotary table helps to optimize the beam incidence angle.一张旋转的桌子有助于将光线影响之方式角最佳化。

11 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？

12 sever   

v.切开，割开；断绝，中断

参考例句：

• She wanted to sever all her connections with the firm.她想断绝和那家公司的所有联系。
• We must never sever the cultural vein of our nation.我们不能割断民族的文化血脉。

13 essentially   

adv.本质上，实质上，基本上

参考例句：

• Really great men are essentially modest.真正的伟人大都很谦虚。
• She is an essentially selfish person.她本质上是个自私自利的人。