Dominican Republic, Haiti join hands to uproot cholera

 　　SANTO DOMINGO, Jan. 11 (Xinhua) -- The Dominican Republic and Haiti Wednesday launched a joint¹ plan aimed at eliminating cholera², which has claimed more than 7,000 lives in both countries since October 2010.

　　The efforts were backed by the World Health Organization (WHO), the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), and the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF), Dominican officials said.

　　The plan, "Call to action: the Hispaniola without cholera", aims to improve sanitary³ and living conditions of the Haiti people who face herculean reconstruction⁴ work following a devastating⁵ earthquake in the country on Jan. 12, 2010, that killed 220,000 people and displaced over 1 million.

　　Cases of cholera, an infection that causes severe diarrhea that can lead to dehydration⁶ and death, first appeared in Haiti in October, 2010.

　　The epidemic⁷ has so far killed more than 7,000 people and left nearly 500,000 more sick in Haiti.

　　It also killed 135 people in the Dominican Republic as of September 2011, according to Dominican health authorities.

　　Some 500 million U.S. dollars will be invested in projects related to sanitization and the construction of infrastructure⁸ that has to do with waterworks in both nations in the long term.

1 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

2 cholera   

n.霍乱

参考例句：

• The cholera outbreak has been contained.霍乱的发生已被控制住了。
• Cholera spread like wildfire through the camps.霍乱在营地里迅速传播。

3 sanitary   

adj.卫生方面的，卫生的，清洁的，卫生的

参考例句：

• It's not sanitary to let flies come near food.让苍蝇接近食物是不卫生的。
• The sanitary conditions in this restaurant are abominable.这家饭馆的卫生状况糟透了。

4 reconstruction   

n.重建，再现，复原

参考例句：

• The country faces a huge task of national reconstruction following the war.战后，该国面临着重建家园的艰巨任务。
• In the period of reconstruction,technique decides everything.在重建时期，技术决定一切。

5 devastating   

adj.毁灭性的，令人震惊的，强有力的

参考例句：

• It is the most devastating storm in 20 years.这是20年来破坏性最大的风暴。
• Affairs do have a devastating effect on marriages.婚外情确实会对婚姻造成毁灭性的影响。

6 dehydration   

n.脱水，干燥

参考例句：

• He died from severe dehydration.他死于严重脱水。
• The eyes are often retracted from dehydration.眼睛常因脱水而凹陷。

7 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。

8 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。