2006年VOA标准英语-WHO Launches Polio Immunization Campaign i

By Lisa Schlein
Geneva
07 May 2006

 
Maroufa, 4, receives polio vaccination¹ in Kabul 
  
The World Health Organization is conducting a massive polio immunization campaign along the dangerous Afghan-Pakistani border. Over a three-day period, WHO hopes to immunize 16-million children under age five against the crippling disease.

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Reaching children in the remote, dangerous border area will be difficult and risky². The World Health Organization says thousands of volunteers will go house-to-house to immunize millions of children against polio.

A spokeswoman for WHO's Polio Eradication³ Campaign, Sona Bari, says health workers aim to stamp out a flare-up of the crippling disease and prevent its spread. Despite the insecurity in the region, she says, she is confident of success.

"Given the difficult situation in Afghanistan, given the security issues along the border area, it is not very easy to access children," she explained. "There are lots of nomadic⁴ populations. There is refugee movement. There are areas that are difficult to access geographically⁵, but also because of security reasons. Given all that, they have made tremendous progress, and that has really been because of a strong political commitment on the part of those states."

The World Health Organization reported five new cases of polio in Afghanistan and two in Pakistan this year. Afghanistan and Pakistan are among four countries still considered polio-endemic, along with Nigeria and India.

Bari says even one case of polio in a country is a problem, because the virus can circulate inside the country. And, it can travel across borders, spreading the disease to other nations, as well. She recalls northern Nigeria suspended polio immunizations two years ago. She says the virus subsequently spread, re-infecting more than 20 previously⁶ polio-free countries.

"Polio, unlike measles⁷ or small pox is not a visible disease. It can be silently carried by many, many people. So, for every case that we see, most likely there are 200 people infected," continued Bari. "But, you or I may be infected with polio and not actually manifest any symptoms of it, but be passing it on. So, when you look at those small numbers relatively⁸, you have to consider that there are several hundred behind that, if not several thousand. And, if you do not get vaccines⁹ to every single child, the virus can still circulate."

When WHO began its polio eradication campaign in 1988, there were 350,000 reported cases of the disease. This has gone down to 225 reported new cases this year, 169 of them in Nigeria.

WHO has missed its goal of ridding the world of polio by the end of 2005, but it says it is optimistic this target will be reached by the end of 2007. It says it hopes this current immunization drive will stamp out the disease in Afghanistan and Pakistan. That would leave India and Nigeria as the only two countries where polio remains¹⁰ endemic.

1 vaccination   

n.接种疫苗，种痘

参考例句：

• Vaccination is a preventive against smallpox.种痘是预防天花的方法。
• Doctors suggest getting a tetanus vaccination every ten years.医生建议每十年注射一次破伤风疫苗。

2 risky   

adj.有风险的，冒险的

参考例句：

• It may be risky but we will chance it anyhow.这可能有危险，但我们无论如何要冒一冒险。
• He is well aware how risky this investment is.他心里对这项投资的风险十分清楚。

3 eradication   

n.根除

参考例句：

• The eradication of an established infestation is not easy. 根除昆虫蔓延是不容易的。
• This is often required for intelligent control and eradication. 这经常需要灵巧的控制与消除。

4 nomadic   

adj.流浪的；游牧的

参考例句：

• This tribe still live a nomadic life.这个民族仍然过着游牧生活。
• The plowing culture and the nomadic culture are two traditional principal cultures in China.农耕文化与游牧文化是我国传统的两大主体文化。

5 geographically   

adv.地理学上，在地理上，地理方面

参考例句：

• Geographically, the UK is on the periphery of Europe. 从地理位置上讲，英国处于欧洲边缘。 来自辞典例句
• All these events, however geographically remote, urgently affected Western financial centers. 所有这些事件，无论发生在地理上如何遥远的地方，都对西方金融中心产生紧迫的影响。 来自名作英译部分

6 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

7 measles   

n.麻疹，风疹，包虫病，痧子

参考例句：

• The doctor is quite definite about Tom having measles.医生十分肯定汤姆得了麻疹。
• The doctor told her to watch out for symptoms of measles.医生叫她注意麻疹出现的症状。

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 vaccines   

疫苗，痘苗( vaccine的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His team are at the forefront of scientific research into vaccines. 他的小组处于疫苗科研的最前沿。
• The vaccines were kept cool in refrigerators. 疫苗放在冰箱中冷藏。

10 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。