VOA标准英语2015--尼日尔脑膜炎疫情恶化

Niger Meningitis Outbreak Worsens 尼日尔脑膜炎疫情恶化

A meningitis epidemic¹ in Niger has infected well over five thousand people and killed more than 350. The medical aid group Doctors Without Borders warned there’s no vaccine² available for the particular strain of the rapidly spreading disease.

Meningitis inflames³ the membranes⁴ covering the brain and spinal⁵ cord. It can spread rapidly in overcrowded areas.

Emmanuel Massar, field coordinator⁶ in Niger for Doctors without Borders, also known by the French acronym⁷ MSF, said the meningitis outbreak began a few weeks ago and has hit the capital especially hard.

“We are really, really worried about the situation there in Niamey. We are concerned because of the fact that the disease is spreading pretty quickly in Niamey.”

The good news is a treatment is available.

“Basically, for meningitis we have one antibiotic⁸, which is really, really effective. And so if we see the patient soon enough – you give the proper treatment – and it should be ok,” he said.

However, Massar emphasized that treatment must be given early.

“One of the things we are seeing in Niamey is that the patients are arriving really, really late. And sometimes, we really don’t have the time to treat the patients and we lose the patient pretty quickly,” he said.

The fatality⁹ rate can be as high as 50-percent if not treated.

The outbreak now underway in Niger is caused by the C strain of bacteria, which is not generally common in the region. In fact, much of the population of Niamey was vaccinated¹⁰ for the A strain in 2010.

Massar said no vaccine is available now Niger for the C strain.

“One of the problems worldwide, there is a lack of vaccines¹¹. At the moment, it is not possible to buy more vaccines. It doesn’t exist at the moment. They’re producing more, but at the moment it’s not available. It’s one of the big, big concerns we have.”

MSF is operating a 350 bed meningitis treatment center in Niamey.

Niger is in – what’s known as – the meningitis belt. It stretches across 18 sub-Saharan African countries that are home to about 300-million people.

1 epidemic   

n.流行病；盛行；adj.流行性的，流传极广的

参考例句：

• That kind of epidemic disease has long been stamped out.那种传染病早已绝迹。
• The authorities tried to localise the epidemic.当局试图把流行病限制在局部范围。

2 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。

3 inflames   

v.（使）变红，发怒，过热( inflame的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The Captain inflames the crew with his rhetoric. 船长以他的辩才点燃了船员心中之火。 来自辞典例句
• However, the release of antibodies also inflames the bronchi and bronchioles. 然而，抗体的产生也导致了了支气管和细支气管群的发炎。 来自互联网

4 membranes   

n.（动物或植物体内的）薄膜( membrane的名词复数 )；隔膜；（可起防水、防风等作用的）膜状物

参考例句：

• The waste material is placed in cells with permeable membranes. 废液置于有渗透膜的槽中。 来自辞典例句
• The sarcoplasmic reticulum is a system of intracellular membranes. 肌浆网属于细胞内膜系统。 来自辞典例句

5 spinal   

adj.针的，尖刺的，尖刺状突起的；adj.脊骨的，脊髓的

参考例句：

• After three days in Japan,the spinal column becomes extraordinarily flexible.在日本三天，就已经使脊椎骨变得富有弹性了。
• Your spinal column is made up of 24 movable vertebrae.你的脊柱由24个活动的脊椎骨构成。

6 coordinator   

n.协调人

参考例句：

• The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, headed by the Emergency Relief Coordinator, coordinates all UN emergency relief. 联合国人道主义事务协调厅在紧急救济协调员领导下，负责协调联合国的所有紧急救济工作。
• How am I supposed to find the client-relations coordinator? 我怎么才能找到客户关系协调员的办公室？

7 acronym   

n.首字母简略词，简称

参考例句：

• That's a mouthful of an acronym for a very simple technology.对于一项非常简单的技术来说，这是一个很绕口的缩写词。
• TSDF is an acronym for Treatment, Storage and Disposal Facilities.TSDF是处理，储存和处置设施的一个缩写。

8 antibiotic   

adj.抗菌的；n.抗生素

参考例句：

• The doctor said that I should take some antibiotic.医生说我应该服些用抗生素。
• Antibiotic can be used against infection.抗菌素可以用来防止感染。

9 fatality   

n.不幸，灾祸，天命

参考例句：

• She struggle against fatality in vain.她徒然奋斗反抗宿命。
• He began to have a growing sense of fatality.他开始有一种越来越强烈的宿命感。

10 vaccinated   

[医]已接种的，种痘的，接种过疫菌的

参考例句：

• I was vaccinated against tetanus. 我接种了破伤风疫苗。
• Were you vaccinated against smallpox as a child? 你小时候打过天花疫苗吗？

11 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。