VOA标准英语2011--Billion People Suffer from Neglected Tropical Diseases

Billion People Suffer from Neglected Tropical Diseases

A billion people around the world suffer from neglected tropical diseases, and the global health community is working to develop new drugs, vaccines² and diagnostics. But experts note that success is uneven³ in part because of different rules and regulations in different countries for drug development and testing.

Dr. Shyam Sundar sees patients suffering from Kala azar in India's Bihar state. The disease, transmitted by sandflies, causes prolonged fever and can be fatal, if left untreated.

Dr. Sundar is developing a simpler approach to treatment, rather than the older protocol⁴ of several days of injections.

“Today, the future is much more bright for this disease than what it was 20 years ago," said Sundar.

Dr. Sundar works with Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative (DNDI). The international collaboration⁵, committed to developing and delivering new drugs and therapies, has launched a four-year program for diagnosis⁶ and treatment of kala azar in India and Bangladesh. Experts say DNDI's findings may ultimately change the way the disease is treated in these two coutnries.

Dr. Peter Hotez, president of Sabin Vaccine¹ Institute, says it is much easier to test new therapies in India than in other parts of the world.

“The good news is India is what we call IDC - Innovative⁷ Developing Country," said Hotez. "Yes, you have enormous pockets of poverty; yes, you have terrible problems with elephantiasis and hookworm, kala-azar, and leprosy. But at the same time, you have a very advanced and sophisticated biotechnology machine in India.”

Deadly and disabling infections are also severe in sub-Saharan Africa. But scientists working there say that people in the region do not benefit from new therapies because their governments lack standardized⁸ guidelines for testing new drugs. This is also a problem in south east Asia and parts of South America.

A new report from the Center for Global Development - a public policy research institute - says that scores of medicines for deadly infections are caught in a "regulatory labyrinth⁹" [complex bureaucracy] that slows progress.

Amanda Glassman is the director for Global Health at the Institute .

“Very large number of really important and promising¹⁰ products that are in the clinical development pipeline¹¹ nearing stage three clinical trials which is the last stage, yet the process to get through the clinical trials is very involved, very costly¹², very inefficient," said Glassman.

There are 90 potentially life-saving drugs in the pipeline waiting to be tested.

“If they can agree on rules of the game and they can empower a regional institution to make sure that the rules of the game are met then they are gonna get better quality of information," said Glassman. "They are gonna have clinical trial in their countries which also brings benefits.”

Experts say neglected infections take their biggest toll¹³ in the poorest countries of the world... nations that also lack the regulatory systems to test new therapies.

1 vaccine   

n.牛痘苗，疫苗；adj.牛痘的，疫苗的

参考例句：

• The polio vaccine has saved millions of lives.脊髓灰质炎疫苗挽救了数以百万计的生命。
• She takes a vaccine against influenza every fall.她每年秋季接种流感疫苗。

2 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。

3 uneven   

adj.不平坦的，不规则的，不均匀的

参考例句：

• The sidewalk is very uneven—be careful where you walk.这人行道凹凸不平—走路时请小心。
• The country was noted for its uneven distribution of land resources.这个国家以土地资源分布不均匀出名。

4 protocol   

n.议定书，草约，会谈记录，外交礼节

参考例句：

• We must observe the correct protocol.我们必须遵守应有的礼仪。
• The statesmen signed a protocol.那些政治家签了议定书。

5 collaboration   

n.合作，协作；勾结

参考例句：

• The two companies are working in close collaboration each other.这两家公司密切合作。
• He was shot for collaboration with the enemy.他因通敌而被枪毙了。

6 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。

7 innovative   

adj.革新的，新颖的，富有革新精神的

参考例句：

• Discover an innovative way of marketing.发现一个创新的营销方式。
• He was one of the most creative and innovative engineers of his generation.他是他那代人当中最富创造性与革新精神的工程师之一。

8 standardized   

adj.标准化的

参考例句：

• We use standardized tests to measure scholastic achievement. 我们用标准化考试来衡量学生的学业成绩。
• The parts of an automobile are standardized. 汽车零件是标准化了的。

9 labyrinth   

n.迷宫；难解的事物；迷路

参考例句：

• He wandered through the labyrinth of the alleyways.他在迷宫似的小巷中闲逛。
• The human mind is a labyrinth.人的心灵是一座迷宫。

10 promising   

adj.有希望的，有前途的

参考例句：

• The results of the experiments are very promising.实验的结果充满了希望。
• We're trying to bring along one or two promising young swimmers.我们正设法培养出一两名有前途的年轻游泳选手。

11 pipeline   

n.管道，管线

参考例句：

• The pipeline supplies Jordan with 15 per cent of its crude oil.该管道供给约旦15%的原油。
• A single pipeline serves all the houses with water.一条单管路给所有的房子供水。

12 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。

13 toll   

n.过路(桥)费；损失，伤亡人数；v.敲(钟)

参考例句：

• The hailstone took a heavy toll of the crops in our village last night.昨晚那场冰雹损坏了我们村的庄稼。
• The war took a heavy toll of human life.这次战争夺去了许多人的生命。