VOA慢速英语--关注Zika等热带疾病

Spotlight¹ on Zika Helps Neglected Tropical Diseases 关注Zika等热带疾病

The diseases afflict² more than a billion people around the world but the media gives little attention to them.

They are Neglected Tropical Diseases or NTDs.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has identified 17 of them, including rabies, leprosy, river blindness, dengue and Chikungunya. About 534,000 people a year die from them, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).

They strike the poorest people in tropical and sub-tropical areas, often with inadequate³ sanitation⁴. They cost developing economies billions of dollars every year, according to the WHO.

Dr. Neeraj Mistry is the managing director of the Global Network for Neglected Tropical Diseases at the Sabin Vaccine⁵ Institute in Washington. He said, “More than a billion people affected⁶ by Neglected Tropical Diseases don’t have anyone lobbying for them. They don’t have any voice.” He added, “Issues with the loudest voice get the most attention. That’s the way policy is made.”

But experts say that is changing because of Zika.

People can catch the Zika virus after being bitten by an infected Aedes mosquito. This is the same mosquito that can spread dengue, Chikungunya and yellow fever.

Zika was first identified in 1947. The virus was largely ignored until the recent outbreak in Brazil. The WHO declared it a global health emergency and warned that Zika could infect as many as 4 million people in the Americas this year.

Andy Wright is Vice⁷ President of Global Health Programmes at the drug company GSK. He said, “Any situation like the current one with Zika puts a spotlight on emerging or relatively⁸ unknown diseases that have not attracted sufficient attention or investment.”

“There’s a global vulnerability to these diseases,” said Mistry. “It’s not just a function of poor countries.”

NTDs are showing up in developed countries

Because of global air travel, people can go around the world in 24 hours. They may contract a disease in a country in the developing world, not show any symptoms, then fly to the developed world and transmit it to people there. Ebola is an example.

Dr. Jon Andrus is the Director of Vaccine Advocacy and Education at the Sabin Institute. He said diseases that only affected tropical areas before can now spread to other parts of the world.

“Infection is only a plane ride away,” he said.

Climate change also creates environments for the transmission of diseases by mosquitoes and black flies, according to Andrus. Crowded urban slums and plastic litter on the ground can also serve as breeding sites for mosquitoes.

Two years ago, there were outbreaks of dengue in the American states of Florida and Texas.

Global initiatives to combat NTDs

In 2012, the U.S., the United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates, 13 drug companies, and several global health foundations signed a London Declaration on NTDs. The declaration was to support the WHO’s initiative to control or eliminate 10 diseases by the year 2020. The campaign promised almost $800 million for drug donation programs.

As part of the London Declaration, the drug companies would share information to speed up the development of new treatments. In addition, they agreed to supply billions of doses of drugs every year to help the world’s poorest people.

Mistry said these programs reached 800 million people in 2014. He hoped they would be made available to more than a billion people by 2020.   

“It’s an art to be the broker⁹ and diplomat¹⁰ and win trust and support from sectors¹¹ with very different issues, such as NGOs, corporations, and foundations,” he said. He added that the key was to find common goals. Government can serve as an effective broker. 

Need for more prevention

Experts called for greater focus on prevention to avoid the next global epidemic¹².

“What’s frustrating¹³ for me is that we’re not more proactive in prevention of these outbreaks,” said Andrus. “It’s not just the vaccine. It’s good public health practice and surveillance. We need better diagnostic tests to detect these outbreaks earlier.”

It’s important to control the carriers of these diseases. He advocated use of insecticides, mosquito nets, and long-sleeved clothing as ways to combat mosquito-borne illnesses like Zika and dengue. 

Mistry added the attention on “Zika will cause an increase in public-private partnerships¹⁴ to combat Neglected Tropical Diseases. It’s the only way we’ll find solutions to these problems.”

Words in This Story

afflict – v. to cause pain or suffering to (someone or something)

neglect – v. to fail to take care of or to give attention to (someone or something)

tropical – n. relating to the part of the world that is near the equator where the weather is very warm

inadequate – adj. not enough or not good enough

sanitation – n. the process of keeping places free from dirt, infection, disease, etc., by removing waste, trash and garbage, by cleaning streets, etc.

lobbying – n. the effort by an organized group of people who work together to influence government decisions that relate to a particular industry, issue, etc.

spotlight – n.  public attention or notice

vulnerability – n. the act of being open to attack, harm, or damage

transmission – n.  the act or process by which something is spread or passed from one person or thing to another

surveillance – n. the act of using electronic devices to watch people or things

diagnostic – adj. used to help identify a disease, illness, or problem

1 spotlight   

n.公众注意的中心，聚光灯，探照灯，视听，注意，醒目

参考例句：

• This week the spotlight is on the world of fashion.本周引人瞩目的是时装界。
• The spotlight followed her round the stage.聚光灯的光圈随着她在舞台上转。

2 afflict   

vt.使身体或精神受痛苦，折磨

参考例句：

• I wish you wouldn't afflict me with your constant complains.我希望你不要总是抱怨而使我苦恼。
• There are many illnesses,which afflict old people.有许多疾病困扰着老年人。

3 inadequate   

adj.(for,to)不充足的，不适当的

参考例句：

• The supply is inadequate to meet the demand.供不应求。
• She was inadequate to the demands that were made on her.她还无力满足对她提出的各项要求。

4 sanitation   

n.公共卫生，环境卫生，卫生设备

参考例句：

• The location is exceptionally poor,viewed from the sanitation point.从卫生角度来看，这个地段非常糟糕。
• Many illnesses are the result,f inadequate sanitation.许多疾病都来源于不健全的卫生设施。

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 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

7 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

8 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。

9 broker   

n.中间人，经纪人；v.作为中间人来安排

参考例句：

• He baited the broker by promises of higher commissions.他答应给更高的佣金来引诱那位经纪人。
• I'm a real estate broker.我是不动产经纪人。

10 diplomat   

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。

11 sectors   

n.部门( sector的名词复数 )；领域；防御地区；扇形

参考例句：

• Berlin was divided into four sectors after the war. 战后柏林分成了4 个区。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Industry and agriculture are the two important sectors of the national economy. 工业和农业是国民经济的两个重要部门。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

12 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。

13 frustrating   

adj.产生挫折的，使人沮丧的，令人泄气的v.使不成功( frustrate的现在分词 )；挫败；使受挫折；令人沮丧

参考例句：

• It's frustrating to have to wait so long. 要等这么长时间，真令人懊恼。
• It was a demeaning and ultimately frustrating experience. 那是一次有失颜面并且令人沮丧至极的经历。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 partnerships   

n.伙伴关系( partnership的名词复数 )；合伙人身份；合作关系

参考例句：

• Partnerships suffer another major disadvantage: decision-making is shared. 合伙企业的另一主要缺点是决定要由大家来作。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件
• It involved selling off limited partnerships. 它涉及到售出有限的合伙权。 来自辞典例句