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VOA慢速英语2014 AS IT IS 2014-05-06 Looking for Vaccines Outside the Cold Chain

时间:2014-05-10 14:57:47

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AS IT IS 2014-05-06 Looking for Vaccines2 Outside the Cold Chain

Hello, and welcome back.  I'm Jim Tedder3 in Washington.  Today we will help you improve your American English while giving you some new information about medicines.  This is the kind of thing that may save lives.

Then we turn to the world of American politics.  The United States has never had a woman President.  Could Hillary Clinton become the first one?  Stay with us and hear what the experts are saying.

As It Is is coming your way from Washington.

Most vaccines must be kept in a cool place all during the time when they are being transported and used.  That is a big problem in some developing countries where electricity and transportation are not always available. 

Some non-governmental organizations are urging drug makers4 to investigate whether their vaccines can be shipped safely at room temperature.  One such group, Doctors Without Borders, believes that room temperature vaccines – vaccines that are outside what has been called the “cold chain” – will reach more people.  Anna Matteo has the story.

The “cold chain” requires that vaccines be kept in a cool environment, with no changes in temperature, until they reach the end user.  This "cold chain" is supposed to keep the medicine effective and stop it from going bad.

But the group Doctors Without Borders says the cold chain leads to vaccine1 shortages.  And it warns these shortages result in 20 percent of children below the age of one going without their vaccinations5 each year.

Kate Elder serves as a vaccine advisor6 to the group.  She says that because most vaccines are produced by Western drug makers, keeping them cold is not a problem in developed countries.  The problems start, she adds, when you try to provide these medicines in other countries. 

“But when you get into context like Chad and Democratic Republic of the Congo and South Sudan, where electricity is scarce and where roads are very poor and transportation very difficult, it becomes a huge challenge to keep these relatively7 fragile commodities cold all the way through to areas where kids need them.”

So Doctors Without Borders is urging drug makers to test vaccines to see whether they can be kept at temperatures up to 40 degrees Celsius8

One vaccine that stays effective at higher temperatures is MenAfriVac.  It is used to prevent meningitis-A in children in African countries where meningitis is a big problem.  MenAfriVac is effective without refrigeration equipment for up to four days. 

Another such vaccine is the tetanus toxoid vaccine from the Serum9 Institute of India.  A research group from France recently tested the tetanus toxoid vaccine in Chad.  The researchers found that it too worked outside the “cold chain.”  It stayed effective for up to one month at temperatures up to 40 degrees.  And it gave the same level of protection as the vaccine kept in a strict “cold chain.”

Kate Elder says the results suggest that more immunization drugs probably do not need refrigeration all the time to be safe and effective.

“The number of these vaccines might actually be more thermo-stable than what they are labeled for at refrigeration requirements of two to eight degrees Celsius.  So, what we are doing is pushing the manufacturers - the companies that make these products - to make sure that we can use them to that utmost thermo-stable potential.”

Doctors Without Borders is urging drug makers to lead this effort – an effort that shows some vaccines may be safely transported and used when stored outside the “cold chain.”  This effort will lead to vaccines that can be approved for use in parts of the world that do not have dependable refrigeration – places that usually have the greatest need. 

I’m Anna Matteo.

    Will it be "Madam President"?

The next presidential election in the United States is still more than two years away.  But any discussion of possible candidates among Democratic Party activists10 begins with former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.  She has a huge lead in studies of likely voters.  Just the possibility of her candidacy is having a major effect on the race for the presidency11.

Hillary Clinton may not yet be a candidate for president.  But she has been busy giving speeches, singing with school children and preparing to become a grandmother.  Her daughter Chelsea recently announced that she and her husband expect their first child later this year.

Yet Hillary Clinton has said little about her political future.  But in her speeches, she is a strong supporter of women’s rights.

“I believe that advancing the rights, opportunities and full participation12 of women and girls here at home and around the world is the great unfinished business of the 21st Century.”

John Sides is a member of the Department of Political Science at George Washington University in Washington, D.C.  He says Hillary Clinton would be a major political force if she seeks the Democratic presidential nomination13.

“She is probably as best-positioned to be the Democratic nominee14 in a year with no incumbent15 president as any recent Democratic nominee has been.  So really the race is hers if she wants it.”

But, he says the question is does she want to seek the nomination after her loss to Barack Obama in 2008?

“She is a known quantity to most voters.  I do not think she has to worry about image management yet and ultimately it is just a question of whether she thinks she has the necessary stamina16 and the desire to actually pull this off.”

Stephen Hess studies politics for the Brookings Institution, a private, public-policy group in Washington.  He says Hillary Clinton will be a political target if she decides to enter the race.

 

“If you are way out there everybody is shooting at you, gunning at your back, not only other possible candidates, but certainly the media.  So she is in  a very exposed position.  On the other hand, a very good position is that she is raising a lot of money and that is very important in presidential politics.”

If Ms. Clinton is a candidate, she will face more questions about her actions during and after the 2012 attack on the American diplomatic offices in Benghazi, Libya.  John Boehner is the speaker of the House of Representatives.

“And when it comes to Benghazi, we have got four Americans who are dead and their families deserve the truth about what happened and the administration refuses to tell them the truth.”

But that incident seems to have done little to hurt her popularity, says Karlyn Bowman of the American Enterprise Institute.

“I have been reviewing all the polls ever, all the poll questions ever asked on Hillary Clinton, and there are probably several thousands of them, at least.  And I just finished review, and it is a remarkably18 favorable picture when you look at the whole picture over time since 1992.”

The former Secretary of State wrote about her years as America’s top diplomat17.  That book, called Hard Choices, will be published in June.

And here is a brief history lesson for you.  On this date in 1915, the man who became America’s most famous baseball player, Babe Ruth, hit his first home run.  At the time he was playing for the Boston Red Sox.

On this date in 1937, the dirigible …or big passenger carrying balloon …the Hindenburg, exploded at Lakehurst, New Jersey19.  It was the biggest news of the day. 

And American actor Orson Wells was born on this day in 1915.  His film “Citizen Kane” is considered one of the best ever made.


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1 vaccine Ki1wv     
n.牛痘苗,疫苗;adj.牛痘的,疫苗的
参考例句:
  • The polio vaccine has saved millions of lives.脊髓灰质炎疫苗挽救了数以百万计的生命。
  • She takes a vaccine against influenza every fall.她每年秋季接种流感疫苗。
2 vaccines c9bb57973a82c1e95c7cd0f4988a1ded     
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。
3 tedder 2833afc4f8252d8dc9f8cd73b24db55d     
n.(干草)翻晒者,翻晒机
参考例句:
  • Jim Tedder has more. 吉姆?特德将给我们做更多的介绍。 来自互联网
  • Jim Tedder tells us more. 吉姆?泰德给我们带来更详细的报道。 来自互联网
4 makers 22a4efff03ac42c1785d09a48313d352     
n.制造者,制造商(maker的复数形式)
参考例句:
  • The makers of the product assured us that there had been no sacrifice of quality. 这一产品的制造商向我们保证说他们没有牺牲质量。
  • The makers are about to launch out a new product. 制造商们马上要生产一种新产品。 来自《简明英汉词典》
5 vaccinations ed61d339e2970fa63aee4b5ce757cc44     
n.种痘,接种( vaccination的名词复数 );牛痘疤
参考例句:
  • Vaccinations ensure one against diseases. 接种疫苗可以预防疾病。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • I read some publicity about vaccinations while waiting my turn at the doctor's. 在医生那儿候诊时,我读了一些关于接种疫苗的宣传。 来自《简明英汉词典》
6 advisor JKByk     
n.顾问,指导老师,劝告者
参考例句:
  • They employed me as an advisor.他们聘请我当顾问。
  • The professor is engaged as a technical advisor.这位教授被聘请为技术顾问。
7 relatively bkqzS3     
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。
8 Celsius AXRzl     
adj.摄氏温度计的,摄氏的
参考例句:
  • The temperature tonight will fall to seven degrees Celsius.今晚气温将下降到七摄氏度。
  • The maximum temperature in July may be 36 degrees Celsius.七月份最高温度可能达到36摄氏度。
9 serum 8seyS     
n.浆液,血清,乳浆
参考例句:
  • The serum is available to the general public.一般公众均可获得血清。
  • Untreated serum contains a set of 11 proteins called complement.未经处理的血清含有一组蛋白质,共11种,称为补体。
10 activists 90fd83cc3f53a40df93866d9c91bcca4     
n.(政治活动的)积极分子,活动家( activist的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
  • Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》
11 presidency J1HzD     
n.总统(校长,总经理)的职位(任期)
参考例句:
  • Roosevelt was elected four times to the presidency of the United States.罗斯福连续当选四届美国总统。
  • Two candidates are emerging as contestants for the presidency.两位候选人最终成为总统职位竞争者。
12 participation KS9zu     
n.参与,参加,分享
参考例句:
  • Some of the magic tricks called for audience participation.有些魔术要求有观众的参与。
  • The scheme aims to encourage increased participation in sporting activities.这个方案旨在鼓励大众更多地参与体育活动。
13 nomination BHMxw     
n.提名,任命,提名权
参考例句:
  • John is favourite to get the nomination for club president.约翰最有希望被提名为俱乐部主席。
  • Few people pronounced for his nomination.很少人表示赞成他的提名。
14 nominee FHLxv     
n.被提名者;被任命者;被推荐者
参考例句:
  • His nominee for vice president was elected only after a second ballot.他提名的副总统在两轮投票后才当选。
  • Mr.Francisco is standing as the official nominee for the post of District Secretary.弗朗西斯科先生是行政书记职位的正式提名人。
15 incumbent wbmzy     
adj.成为责任的,有义务的;现任的,在职的
参考例句:
  • He defeated the incumbent governor by a large plurality.他以压倒多数票击败了现任州长。
  • It is incumbent upon you to warn them.你有责任警告他们。
16 stamina br8yJ     
n.体力;精力;耐力
参考例句:
  • I lacked the stamina to run the whole length of the race.我没有跑完全程的耐力。
  • Giving up smoking had a magical effect on his stamina.戒烟神奇地增强了他的体力。
17 diplomat Pu0xk     
n.外交官,外交家;能交际的人,圆滑的人
参考例句:
  • The diplomat threw in a joke, and the tension was instantly relieved.那位外交官插进一个笑话,紧张的气氛顿时缓和下来。
  • He served as a diplomat in Russia before the war.战前他在俄罗斯当外交官。
18 remarkably EkPzTW     
ad.不同寻常地,相当地
参考例句:
  • I thought she was remarkably restrained in the circumstances. 我认为她在那种情况下非常克制。
  • He made a remarkably swift recovery. 他康复得相当快。
19 jersey Lp5zzo     
n.运动衫
参考例句:
  • He wears a cotton jersey when he plays football.他穿运动衫踢足球。
  • They were dressed alike in blue jersey and knickers.他们穿着一致,都是蓝色的运动衫和灯笼短裤。

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