2006年VOA标准英语-Indonesian Lepers Still Face Discrimination, De

By Trish Anderton
Jakarta
29 May 2006

 

Former South Korean leprosy patient, Oh Chun-duck, participates in an anti-Japan rally for having been forced to stay in isolated¹ leprosariums during Japan's wartime colonial rule
(File photo - Oct. 27, 2005)   
  
The World Health Organization says the number of patients suffering from leprosy worldwide has fallen by nearly 90 percent over the last two decades. But the age-old ailment², also known as Hansen's disease, is still claiming new victims, and lepers continue to face a serious discrimination and ostracism³.

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At Sitanalan Hospital in the Jakarta suburb of Tangerang, laundry is hanging out to dry, and goats wander around on the grass. Ibu Ai, or Mother Ai, a 65-year-old diagnosed with leprosy eight years ago, sits alone on the hospital patio⁴.

Ibu Ai says that when her husband learned of the diagnosis⁵, he promptly⁶ divorced her. No family members have ever come to visit, she says.

They're all scared of the illness, she says. The people in my town are afraid. My family is afraid.

Ai has lived at the hospital ever since. She says this is her home now, and the people here are her family.

"Everyone here is my friend, they are like sisters and brothers - it's like a leper nation."

Leprosy is a bacterial⁷ disease that attacks the nerves, causing paralysis⁸. It can also lead to skin lesions, gangrene, and eventually, the deformities for which the disease is notorious.

Nowadays leprosy can be cured with antibiotics⁹. And if it is caught early it can be stopped before causing major physical damage. But an aura of fear still surrounds the disease.

Ibu Ai is lucky. She and a handful of other retirees live here rent-free. Younger patients who are cured are expected to go home and support themselves, and that can be a difficult struggle.

Inside the men's ward¹⁰, Dr. Handoko Soewono asks 30-year-old Sa'um if he has made plans to go home yet.

Sa'um sits patiently while the doctor examines the blackened skin around his ankles. He has a wife and three children to support. His thin, sinewy¹¹ body suggests a life of hard work and few rewards. Still, he smiles warmly and says he hopes to go back to his job as a street vendor¹².

"Mie ayam," he tells the doctor. I will go home whatever I can. He tells the doctor he will sell noodles again, or anything else he can sell.

Handoko is supportive and upbeat. But later, in private, he reveals his concerns. People don't want to buy food from lepers, he says. Some of his patients wind up begging on the street. Some even use makeup¹³ and fake bandages to make themselves look more pitiful.

Handoko runs a small program to teach the patients skills, such as farming and handicrafts. He writes letters to employers explaining that the patients are no longer contagious¹⁴ and can go back to work. And sometimes, he succeeds.

He says there was one patient who came to him as a child. Two or three years ago he came back to see him as a grown man. He says the man had become a lieutenant¹⁵ in the army.

Handoko says that is when he feels that his treatment has really made a difference: when his patients can go home, get a job, and lead a normal life.

1 isolated   

adj.与世隔绝的

参考例句：

• His bad behaviour was just an isolated incident. 他的不良行为只是个别事件。
• Patients with the disease should be isolated. 这种病的患者应予以隔离。

2 ailment   

n.疾病，小病

参考例句：

• I don't have even the slightest ailment.我什么毛病也没有。
• He got timely treatment for his ailment.他的病得到了及时治疗。

3 ostracism   

n.放逐；排斥

参考例句：

• Until I emigrated to America,my family and I endured progressive ostracism and discrimination.我的家庭和我自己忍受着变本加厉的排斥和歧视直到我移居美国。
• For the first time in her life the import and horror of social ostracism flashed upon her.她生平第一次突然想到遭受社交界排斥的意义与可怕。

4 patio   

n.庭院，平台

参考例句：

• Suddenly, the thought of my beautiful patio came to mind. I can be quiet out there,I thought.我又忽然想到家里漂亮的院子，我能够在这里宁静地呆会。
• They had a barbecue on their patio on Sunday.星期天他们在院子里进行烧烤。

5 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。

6 promptly   

adv.及时地，敏捷地

参考例句：

• He paid the money back promptly.他立即还了钱。
• She promptly seized the opportunity his absence gave her.她立即抓住了因他不在场给她创造的机会。

7 bacterial   

a.细菌的

参考例句：

• Bacterial reproduction is accelerated in weightless space. 在失重的空间，细菌繁殖加快了。
• Brain lesions can be caused by bacterial infections. 大脑损伤可能由细菌感染引起。

8 paralysis   

n.麻痹(症)；瘫痪(症)

参考例句：

• The paralysis affects his right leg and he can only walk with difficulty.他右腿瘫痪步履维艰。
• The paralysis affects his right leg and he can only walk with difficulty.他右腿瘫痪步履维艰。

9 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。

10 ward   

n.守卫，监护，病房，行政区，由监护人或法院保护的人（尤指儿童）；vt.守护，躲开

参考例句：

• The hospital has a medical ward and a surgical ward.这家医院有内科病房和外科病房。
• During the evening picnic,I'll carry a torch to ward off the bugs.傍晚野餐时，我要点根火把，抵挡蚊虫。

11 sinewy   

adj.多腱的，强壮有力的

参考例句：

• When muscles are exercised often and properly,they keep the arms firm and sinewy.如果能经常正确地锻炼肌肉的话，双臂就会一直结实而强健。
• His hard hands and sinewy sunburned limbs told of labor and endurance.他粗糙的双手，被太阳哂得发黑的健壮四肢,均表明他十分辛勤，非常耐劳。

12 vendor   

n.卖主；小贩

参考例句：

• She looked at the vendor who cheated her the other day with distaste.她厌恶地望着那个前几天曾经欺骗过她的小贩。
• He must inform the vendor immediately.他必须立即通知卖方。

13 makeup   

n.组织；性格；化装品

参考例句：

• Those who failed the exam take a makeup exam.这次考试不及格的人必须参加补考。
• Do you think her beauty could makeup for her stupidity?你认为她的美丽能弥补她的愚蠢吗？

14 contagious   

adj.传染性的，有感染力的

参考例句：

• It's a highly contagious infection.这种病极易传染。
• He's got a contagious laugh.他的笑富有感染力。

15 lieutenant   

n.陆军中尉，海军上尉；代理官员，副职官员

参考例句：

• He was promoted to be a lieutenant in the army.他被提升为陆军中尉。
• He prevailed on the lieutenant to send in a short note.他说动那个副官，递上了一张简短的便条进去。