VOA标准英语2015--美前总统卡特功绩:帮助消灭麦地那龙线虫病

 

End of Guinea Worm in Sight for Carter Center 美前总统卡特功绩:帮助消灭麦地那龙线虫病

ATLANTA, GEORGIA—

Dracunculiasis is a parasitic¹ infection that once afflicted² millions primarily in Africa and parts of South Asia.  Thanks to the efforts of former President Jimmy Carter and the Atlanta-based Carter Center working with government health ministries³, the disease historically known as Guinea Worm is on the verge⁴ of becoming a historical footnote.

During Carter’s August announcement he was battling cancer, he made it clear he has plenty left to do.  One big wish:

“I would like for the last Guinea Worm to die before I do," he said.

Guinea Worm is relatively⁵ unknown in the developed world.  But elsewhere, it is a feared parasite⁶ that infects humans through contaminated drinking water.  It grows and causes excruciating pain when emerging through the skin.

The global campaign to wipe out the disease started at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“In 1980 CDC proposed that if we wanted to assess sustainable development, clean water systems around the world, the eradication⁷ of Guinea Worm would be an indicator⁸ of whether we’ve been able to do that," said CDC Director Tom Frieden.

In 1986, the World Health Assembly adopted a resolution calling for the complete eradication of Guinea Worm.  That’s when the Carter Center stepped in.

“We started out with 3.6 million cases. And I think we have two cases in South Sudan and one case in Ethiopia and one case in Mali and seven cases in Chad. That’s all the guinea worms in the world, and we know where all of them are," said Carter.

The path to complete eradication depends on Carter Center initiatives to monitor and filter drinking water.

“It’s just an historic effort to be able to drive the incidence of disease from an estimated 3.5 million cases in 1986 to only 14 cases today as of today," said Director of Guinea Worm Eradication Program, Ernesto Ruiz-Tiben.

If those 14 cases are the last ones on earth, Guinea Worm would join smallpox⁹ as only the second human disease in history to be eradicated¹⁰.

“To think that because of President Carter’s leadership and work, and the CDC and our partners around the world, 80 million people will not have to go through that torture.  That is a legacy¹¹ that is just unbelievable and inspiring," said Frieden.

For the World Health Organization to declare Guinea Worm eradicated, there must be zero cases of the disease for three calendar years.

 

“The pressure is on us to try to finish what remains¹² to be done as soon as possible," said Ruiz-Tiben.

1 parasitic   

adj.寄生的

参考例句：

• Will global warming mean the spread of tropical parasitic diseases?全球变暖是否意味着热带寄生虫病会蔓延呢？
• By definition,this way of life is parasitic.从其含义来说，这是种寄生虫的生活方式。

2 afflicted   

使受痛苦，折磨( afflict的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• About 40% of the country's population is afflicted with the disease. 全国40%左右的人口患有这种疾病。
• A terrible restlessness that was like to hunger afflicted Martin Eden. 一阵可怕的、跟饥饿差不多的不安情绪折磨着马丁·伊登。

3 ministries   

（政府的）部( ministry的名词复数 )； 神职； 牧师职位； 神职任期

参考例句：

• Local authorities must refer everything to the central ministries. 地方管理机构应请示中央主管部门。
• The number of Ministries has been pared down by a third. 部委的数量已经减少了1/3。

4 verge   

n.边，边缘；v.接近，濒临

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。
• She was on the verge of bursting into tears.她快要哭出来了。

5 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。

6 parasite   

n.寄生虫；寄生菌；食客

参考例句：

• The lazy man was a parasite on his family.那懒汉是家里的寄生虫。
• I don't want to be a parasite.I must earn my own way in life.我不想做寄生虫，我要自己养活自己。

7 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。

8 indicator   

n.指标；指示物，指示者；指示器

参考例句：

• Gold prices are often seen as an indicator of inflation.黃金价格常常被看作是通货膨胀的指标。
• His left-hand indicator is flashing.他左手边的转向灯正在闪亮。

9 smallpox   

n.天花

参考例句：

• In 1742 he suffered a fatal attack of smallpox.1742年，他染上了致命的天花。
• Were you vaccinated against smallpox as a child?你小时候打过天花疫苗吗？

10 eradicated   

画着根的

参考例句：

• Polio has been virtually eradicated in Brazil. 在巴西脊髓灰质炎实际上已经根除。
• The disease has been eradicated from the world. 这种疾病已在全世界得到根除。

11 legacy   

n.遗产，遗赠；先人(或过去)留下的东西

参考例句：

• They are the most precious cultural legacy our forefathers left.它们是我们祖先留下来的最宝贵的文化遗产。
• He thinks the legacy is a gift from the Gods.他认为这笔遗产是天赐之物。

12 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。