世卫组织宣布在刚果民主共和国肺炎造成至少60人死亡

 

WHO: Pneumonic¹ Plague Kills at Least 60 in DR Congo

世卫组织宣布在刚果民主共和国肺炎造成至少60人死亡

 

The World Health Organization (WHO) says it is sending an emergency team of health experts to the Democratic Republic of Congo to try to contain an outbreak of pneumonic plague. 

 

The center of the outbreak is a diamond mine in a remote area of the Ituri region, in the north of the Democratic Republic of Congo. The World Health Organization says humanitarian² access to this region is difficult because of continuing ethnic³ conflict there. 

 

Dr. Eric Berthelet heads the team of 10 international health experts leaving for the Congo on Saturday.  He says WHO was informed of the outbreak 10 days ago, although the disease is believed to have surfaced at the end of December. 

 

Unlike bubonic plague, which is transmitted by the bite of infected fleas⁴ from an animal, he says pneumonic plague is very rare.  He says this form of the disease is caught by breathing in live bacteria, and can spread through the air from one human to another.

 

He says 7000 miners were working together in crowded unsanitary conditions.   Once people started dying and falling ill, he says, panic set in, and about 4000 of the miners ran away.

 

Dr. Eric Berthelet: According to our information, 61 deaths were notified and admitted and recorded in the health facilities. It seems that many of the miners who ran away from the mines died in the forest, or along the trail. So, total number of cases is difficult to know, so far.  We are just sure of these 61 deaths. Around 300 or 400 suspected cases.  It is difficult to be sure that really all of them are cases of pneumonic plague.

 

Dr. Berthelet says the miners ran to villages, some as far away as 200 kilometers from the mine, and it is possible some infected people might go as far as the large city of Kissingani. 

 

He says the WHO team of health experts will work with Congo's Ministry⁵ of Health and private aid agencies, going from village to village to try to trace those infected and people they have come in contact with.

 

The World Health Organization says pneumonic plague is more dangerous than bubonic plague, because it can be transmitted from one human to another.  The incubation period lasts from two-to-six days, and people can die within 48 hours of contracting the disease.  However, WHO says pneumonic plague can be treated with antibiotics⁶, and the spread of the disease can be contained through good public hygiene⁷ measures.

 

Schlein, for VOA news, Geneva.

 

注释：

pneumonic [nju(:)5mCnik] adj. 肺的，肺炎的

bubonic plague n. 黑死病，淋巴腺鼠疫

bacteria [bAk5tiEriE] n. 细菌

unsanitary [5Qn5sAnitEri] adj. 不卫生的

panic [5pAnik] n. 惊慌，恐慌

incubation [7inkju5beiFEn] n. 孵蛋，抱蛋，熟虑

antibiotics [7Antibai5Ctiks] n. 抗生素

hygiene [5haidVi:n] n. 卫生，卫生学

1 pneumonic   

adj.肺的；肺炎的

参考例句：

• The chill superinduced a pneumonic condition. 受寒并发了肺炎。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• The fatality rate of pneumonic plague a staggering 95 percent. 肺鼠疫的死亡率是达到惊人95％。 来自互联网

2 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

3 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。

4 fleas   

n.跳蚤( flea的名词复数 )；爱财如命；没好气地（拒绝某人的要求）

参考例句：

• The dog has fleas. 这条狗有跳蚤。
• Nothing must be done hastily but killing of fleas. 除非要捉跳蚤，做事不可匆忙。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

6 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。

7 hygiene   

n.健康法，卫生学 （a.hygienic）

参考例句：

• Their course of study includes elementary hygiene and medical theory.他们的课程包括基础卫生学和医疗知识。
• He's going to give us a lecture on public hygiene.他要给我们作关于公共卫生方面的报告。