美国现首例寨卡病毒死者 筹资陷入僵局

US Sees 1st Zika Death Amid Funding Stalemate 美国现首例寨卡病毒死者 筹资陷入僵局

WASHINGTON—

The first known death from the Zika virus on U.S. territory was reported Friday as lawmakers left Washington for a weeklong recess¹.  Neither house of Congress has approved funding to combat Zika, despite increasingly dire² warnings from U.S. health officials.

It was the death of an elderly man in Puerto Rico, a U.S. territory, that marked an ominous³ milestone⁴ for the Zika virus in the United States.  A Zika infection usually is not life threatening, but it may spread from a pregnant woman to her child and cause microcephaly and other severe conditions.

“This is a public health emergency.  That is what our public health experts have told us,” said White House spokesman Josh Earnest late last week.

The White House has requested nearly $2 billion in emergency funding to target the mosquito that carries Zika and promote the development of a vaccine⁵.  The Republican-led Congress has yet to act, saying more information is needed.

“We should at least have a plan from the administration for how the money is going to be spent,” said Republican Senator John Cornyn. “There is no plan; it is a blank check.”

Democrats⁶ note Congress approved larger sums with relative speed to fight Ebola and the H1N1 flu.

“If they will not give the experts the resources they need to combat Zika, what do they propose?” asked Democratic Senator Harry⁷ Reid.  “We could ask the Zika mosquitos – the Zika-carrying mosquitos, we could ask them: 'Do not breed this year.'”

‘Do your job, Congress’

“There is a public health menace,” said House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi.  “There is a crisis.  We have a responsibility to protect the people from it.  Do your job, Congress.”

With no new funds on the immediate⁸ horizon, the Obama administration is transferring unspent money intended for Ebola to the fight against Zika.  Republicans say the maneuver⁹ buys time for a better understanding of how future funds will be spent.

“We are going to stay on top of this.  We need to find a vaccine,” said House Speaker Paul Ryan.  “About $600 million is out the door.  We still need answers to questions about where it is going.”

The White House insists the transferred Ebola money is insufficient¹⁰ and time is of the essence.

“We cannot fund the fight against Zika a few months at a time,” Earnest said.  “In order to effectively, for example, develop and test and manufacture a vaccine that can be used to protect more than 300 million American citizens, that is a multiyear effort that we are talking about.  And that is an undertaking¹¹ that the private sector¹² will have to commit to.”

U.S. officials believe the Zika-carrying mosquito could spread to at least 30 U.S. states.  Devastating birth defects, already reported in Brazil and elsewhere, would likely follow.

1 recess   

n.短期休息，壁凹（墙上装架子，柜子等凹处）

参考例句：

• The chairman of the meeting announced a ten-minute recess.会议主席宣布休会10分钟。
• Parliament was hastily recalled from recess.休会的议员被匆匆召回开会。

2 dire   

adj.可怕的，悲惨的，阴惨的，极端的

参考例句：

• There were dire warnings about the dangers of watching too much TV.曾经有人就看电视太多的危害性提出严重警告。
• We were indeed in dire straits.But we pulled through.那时我们的困难真是大极了，但是我们渡过了困难。

3 ominous   

adj.不祥的，不吉的，预兆的，预示的

参考例句：

• Those black clouds look ominous for our picnic.那些乌云对我们的野餐来说是个不祥之兆。
• There was an ominous silence at the other end of the phone.电话那头出现了不祥的沉默。

4 milestone   

n.里程碑；划时代的事件

参考例句：

• The film proved to be a milestone in the history of cinema.事实证明这部影片是电影史上的一个里程碑。
• I think this is a very important milestone in the relations between our two countries.我认为这是我们两国关系中一个十分重要的里程碑。

5 vaccine   

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。

6 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 harry   

vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼

参考例句：

• Today,people feel more hurried and harried.今天，人们感到更加忙碌和苦恼。
• Obama harried business by Healthcare Reform plan.奥巴马用医改掠夺了商界。

8 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

9 maneuver   

n.策略[pl.]演习；v.(巧妙)控制；用策略

参考例句：

• All the fighters landed safely on the airport after the military maneuver.在军事演习后，所有战斗机都安全降落在机场上。
• I did get her attention with this maneuver.我用这个策略确实引起了她的注意。

10 insufficient   

adj.(for，of)不足的，不够的

参考例句：

• There was insufficient evidence to convict him.没有足够证据给他定罪。
• In their day scientific knowledge was insufficient to settle the matter.在他们的时代，科学知识还不能足以解决这些问题。

11 undertaking   

n.保证，许诺，事业

参考例句：

• He gave her an undertaking that he would pay the money back with in a year.他向她做了一年内还钱的保证。
• He is too timid to venture upon an undertaking.他太胆小，不敢从事任何事业。

12 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。