VOA慢速英语--:美国携带梅毒的新生儿数量不断上升

Number of American Babies Born with Syphilis Rising

From VOA Learning English, this is the Health & Lifestyle report.

Years ago, syphilis was nearly defeated as a public health threat in the United States. American doctors used antibiotic¹ drugs to fight the disease. But now, the infection rate is on the rise. And syphilis is affecting those most at risk -- newborn babies.

The number of babies born infected with syphilis in the U.S. has more than doubled since 2013. This information comes from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

In a statement released to the press in September 2018, the CDC reported that the number of congenital syphilis cases more than doubled in four years. It is now at a 20-year high. In 2013, there were 362 cases of congenital syphilis. And in 2017, there were 918 cases. That represents an increase of 153 percent.

Syphilis is a Sexually Transmitted Disease, or STD, meaning it is spread mainly through sexual activity. Congenital syphilis is when the disease is passed directly from the mother to the baby.

David Harvey heads the National Coalition² of STD Directors. He said that “When a baby gets syphilis, it means the (healthcare) system has failed that mother repeatedly, both before and during her pregnancy³.”

Harvey added that if STD prevention programs had the support they need, no new mother would ever have to deal with a terrible syphilis diagnosis⁴.

He said, "That we have any cases of syphilis among newborns, let alone an increasing number, is a failure of the health care system.”

In an interview with CNN, Harvey said that one of the reasons the U.S. is seeing more congenital syphilis has to do with the opioid problem in America. He said public health experts are aware that women are trading sex for drugs. And that, he adds, “explains some of the infections we are seeing in babies of syphilis.”

Gail Bolan is the director of the CDC’s Division of STD Prevention. In a 2017 statement, she said, “Every baby born with syphilis represents a tragic⁵ systems failure. All it takes is a simple STD test and antibiotic treatment to prevent this enormous heartache and help assure a healthy start for the next generation of Americans.”

Last year, the CDC published a fact sheet on the state of STDs in the country. The document noted⁶ that in recent years “more than half of state and local STD program budgets have been cut.” These cuts have affected⁷ the services provided at healthcare centers around the country.

The CDC also noted that the amount of money patients must pay to healthcare providers for STD testing and treatment has increased in recent years.

Doctors can easily treat syphilis with antibiotics⁸. However, when left untreated in the mother, the infection increases the risk of newborn death. The woman could lose the fetus⁹ before it is able to survive independently. Children born with syphilis can suffer severe health problems, including deformed¹⁰ bones, blindness or deafness.

About 70 percent of congenital syphilis cases nationwide are in just five states. They are California, Florida, Louisiana, New Mexico and Texas.

Harvey said that the best way to prevent a woman from passing syphilis to her baby is with early testing. He said women should be tested before becoming pregnant, soon after becoming pregnant, and throughout the pregnancy.

Of the babies born with the disease, one third of the mothers had been tested. But the tests were performed too late to prevent the infection of the fetus, or the woman became infected after being tested.

Congenital syphilis is only a part of the growing STD crisis in the United States. The CDC says nearly 2.3 million cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis were identified nationwide in 2017. This is the highest number on record.

In 2016, the World Health Organization estimated that more than 1 million sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are acquired every day worldwide.

If you are sexually active, the CDC suggests two things to protect yourself from getting syphilis:

Be in a long-term relationship with a single sexual partner who has been tested for syphilis and is not infected;

Men should properly use a latex condom every time they have sex.

The CDC also suggests that anyone who has more than one sexual partner get tested for all STDs.

And that’s the Health & Lifestyle report. I’m Anna Matteo.

Words in This Story

diagnosis – n. the art or act of identifying a disease from its signs and symptoms

enormous – adj. marked by extraordinarily¹¹ great size, number, or degree

heartache – n. great sadness or worry

deformed – adj. distorted or unshapely in form

fetus – n. a developing human from usually two months after conception to birth

acquire – v. to get (something)

latex – n. a white fluid produced by certain plants that is used for making rubber; also : a similar material that is used for making various products (such as paint and glue)

condom – n. a thin rubber covering that a man wears on his penis during sex in order to prevent a woman from becoming pregnant or to prevent the spread of diseases

1 antibiotic   

adj.抗菌的；n.抗生素

参考例句：

• The doctor said that I should take some antibiotic.医生说我应该服些用抗生素。
• Antibiotic can be used against infection.抗菌素可以用来防止感染。

2 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

3 pregnancy   

n.怀孕，怀孕期

参考例句：

• Early pregnancy is often accompanied by nausea.怀孕早期常有恶心的现象。
• Smoking during pregnancy increases the risk of miscarriage.怀孕期吸烟会增加流产的危险。

4 diagnosis   

n.诊断，诊断结果，调查分析，判断

参考例句：

• His symptoms gave no obvious pointer to a possible diagnosis.他的症状无法作出明确的诊断。
• The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做一次彻底的调查分析。

5 tragic   

adj.悲剧的，悲剧性的，悲惨的

参考例句：

• The effect of the pollution on the beaches is absolutely tragic.污染海滩后果可悲。
• Charles was a man doomed to tragic issues.查理是个注定不得善终的人。

6 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

7 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。

8 antibiotics   

n.（用作复数）抗生素；（用作单数）抗生物质的研究；抗生素，抗菌素( antibiotic的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• the discovery of antibiotics in the 20th century 20世纪抗生素的发现
• The doctor gave me a prescription for antibiotics. 医生给我开了抗生素。

9 fetus   

n.胎，胎儿

参考例句：

• In the fetus,blood cells are formed in different sites at different ages.胎儿的血细胞在不同时期生成在不同的部位。
• No one knows why a fetus is not automatically rejected by the mother's immune system. 没有人知道为什么母亲的免疫系统不会自动排斥胎儿。

10 deformed   

adj.畸形的；变形的；丑的，破相了的

参考例句：

• He was born with a deformed right leg.他出生时右腿畸形。
• His body was deformed by leprosy.他的身体因为麻风病变形了。

11 extraordinarily   

adv.格外地；极端地

参考例句：

• She is an extraordinarily beautiful girl.她是个美丽非凡的姑娘。
• The sea was extraordinarily calm that morning.那天清晨，大海出奇地宁静。