VOA标准英语2009年-Carter Center Works to Eradicate Malar

Complete eradication¹ in Caribbean targeted by 2010

Kane Farabaugh | Atlanta, Georgia 09 December 2009

 
A pilot program established by the Carter Center in 2008 helped to curb² the spread of malaria³ by donating insecticide treated nets for beds and microscopes to diagnose malaria samples

Haiti and the Dominican Republic are the last two countries in the Caribbean region with known cases of malaria, and former U.S. President Jimmy Carter says he hopes to see an eventual⁴ eradication of the disease in both countries.  VOA spoke⁵ recently with the former president and to members of his Carter Center staff in Atlanta, Georgia about their efforts to curb the mosquito-borne illness.

Poverty and instability are part of life on the Caribbean island of Hispaniola, shared by Haiti and the Dominican Republic. And, says former President Jimmy Carter, they are conditions that contribute to malaria infections in both countries, along with a lack of cooperation between the two neighbors

"The Dominican Republic government and the Haiti government, have never got along well.  But both trust me, and trust the Carter Center," Mr. Carter said.

That trust enabled Mr. Carter to make a visit to the island in October in an effort to get both countries to cooperate to rid the island of malaria once and for all.

"Having him there focuses attention on the problem," says Dr. Donald Hopkins. Dr. Hopkins is the director of the Carter Center's health programs, and oversees⁶ the organization's efforts on the island of Hispaniola.  He credits Mr. Carter's recent visit with progress on an unprecedented⁷ cross-border eradication effort.

"(It) Gave us leverage⁸ in helping⁹ to encourage both countries to develop a bi-national plan with a budget and with a target date for getting rid of malaria on the island all together by 2010," Dr. Hopkins said.

This year, malaria infected about 30,000 people in Haiti and several thousand more in the Dominican Republic.  A pilot program established by the Carter Center in 2008 helped to curb the disease by donating insecticide treated nets for beds and microscopes to diagnose malaria samples.

Dr. Hopkins says in the wake of Mr. Carter's visit, the emphasis on fighting the disease is shifting.  "What we sought to bring that was value added was a focus on elimination¹⁰, not just on continuing to treat and control the malaria problem," he stated.

The Carter Center is seeking to eradicate¹¹ malaria on Hispaniola by 2010, and to rid the island of Lymphatic filariasis, a painful swelling¹² disease also spread by mosquitos. Haiti and the Dominican Republic are two of the last outposts in the western hemisphere for the disease.

"The Dominican Republic expects to eliminate lymphatic filariasis by the year 2010.  Haiti also announced a plan to eliminate lymphatic filariasis on their side of the island by 2020 because they have much more lymphatic filariasis remaining," Dr. Hopkins said.

"Which means when we are successful, there won't be any more of these diseases anywhere in the Western Hemisphere," Mr. Carter said.

To reach that goal, Mr. Carter says much depends on the willingness of both sides of the island to continue their cooperation.

 

1 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。

2 curb   

n.场外证券市场，场外交易；vt.制止，抑制

参考例句：

• I could not curb my anger.我按捺不住我的愤怒。
• You must curb your daughter when you are in church.你在教堂时必须管住你的女儿。

3 malaria   

n.疟疾

参考例句：

• He had frequent attacks of malaria.他常患疟疾。
• Malaria is a kind of serious malady.疟疾是一种严重的疾病。

4 eventual   

adj.最后的，结局的，最终的

参考例句：

• Several schools face eventual closure.几所学校面临最终关闭。
• Both parties expressed optimism about an eventual solution.双方对问题的最终解决都表示乐观。

5 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

6 oversees   

v.监督，监视( oversee的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• She oversees both the research and the manufacturing departments. 她既监督研究部门又监督生产部门。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The Department of Education oversees the federal programs dealing with education. 教育部监管处理教育的联邦程序。 来自互联网

7 unprecedented   

adj.无前例的，新奇的

参考例句：

• The air crash caused an unprecedented number of deaths.这次空难的死亡人数是空前的。
• A flood of this sort is really unprecedented.这样大的洪水真是十年九不遇。

8 leverage   

n.力量，影响；杠杆作用，杠杆的力量

参考例句：

• We'll have to use leverage to move this huge rock.我们不得不借助杠杆之力来移动这块巨石。
• He failed in the project because he could gain no leverage. 因为他没有影响力，他的计划失败了。

9 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

10 elimination   

n.排除，消除，消灭

参考例句：

• Their elimination from the competition was a great surprise.他们在比赛中遭到淘汰是个很大的意外。
• I was eliminated from the 400 metres in the semi-finals.我在400米半决赛中被淘汰。

11 eradicate   

v.根除，消灭，杜绝

参考例句：

• These insects are very difficult to eradicate.这些昆虫很难根除。
• They are already battling to eradicate illnesses such as malaria and tetanus.他们已经在努力消灭疟疾、破伤风等疾病。

12 swelling   

n.肿胀

参考例句：

• Use ice to reduce the swelling. 用冰敷消肿。
• There is a marked swelling of the lymph nodes. 淋巴结处有明显的肿块。