VOA慢速英语2010年-Health Report - Haiti's Cholera Outbre

This is the VOA Special English Health Report.
An outbreak of cholera¹ in Haiti continues to spread sickness and worry. Health officials are worried that the capital could suffer a major outbreak of the disease.
So far most cases in Port-au-Prince have been found in people who arrived in the city already sick. But now health officials have confirmed the first case in a boy who had not left the city for at least a year. And there are other suspected cases in the Haitian capital.
Cholera causes diarrhea and vomiting². It robs the body of fluids. People can get cholera if they eat foods or drink liquids containing the bacteria that cause the infection.
Cholera is not hard to treat. Basically, patients drink a solution of salt, sugar and water.
The problem is that help is not always available quickly. If cholera is not treated, it can kill within hours, especially in people already in weakened conditions.
The earthquake in January displaced large numbers of people. It forced them into crowded, dirty conditions in tent camps -- in other words, the perfect environment for cholera.
The outbreak in Haiti has already killed several hundred people. The country's last major outbreak of the disease was more than one hundred years ago.
Haitian girls carry water to their family's tent at the Caradeux Camp in Port-au-Prince Disease-control experts from the United States confirmed the first cases of cholera in Haiti on October twenty-first in the Artibonite area. The outbreak was mostly limited to that area until a powerful storm struck Haiti last Friday.
Hurricane Tomas caused heavy rains and flooding and some deaths. The number of cholera cases had been dropping last week but then rose sharply after the storm.
Medical workers in Haiti are now trying to spread the message not to use river water without some form of purification. People are being urged to take steps like adding a small amount of bleach³ to the water or boiling it for at least a full minute.
Workers are also struggling to provide clean bottled water and water purification tablets.
People are being urged to wash their hands carefully with soap and purified water after using the toilet or changing a baby's diaper. The same advice goes for before eating, and before and after preparing food. If no soap is available, then ash can be used instead.
And that's the VOA Special English Health Report, written by Caty Weaver⁴. You can read transcripts⁵ and download our programs at voaspecialenglish.com. We're also on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube at VOA Learning English. I’m Faith Lapidus.

1 cholera   

n.霍乱

参考例句：

• The cholera outbreak has been contained.霍乱的发生已被控制住了。
• Cholera spread like wildfire through the camps.霍乱在营地里迅速传播。

2 vomiting   

吐

参考例句：

• Symptoms include diarrhoea and vomiting. 症状有腹泻和呕吐。
• Especially when I feel seasick, I can't stand watching someone else vomiting." 尤其晕船的时候，看不得人家呕。”

3 bleach   

vt.使漂白；vi.变白；n.漂白剂

参考例句：

• These products don't bleach the hair.这些产品不会使头发变白。
• Did you bleach this tablecloth?你把这块桌布漂白了吗？

4 weaver   

n.织布工；编织者

参考例句：

• She was a fast weaver and the cloth was very good.她织布织得很快，而且布的质量很好。
• The eager weaver did not notice my confusion.热心的纺织工人没有注意到我的狼狈相。

5 transcripts   

n.抄本（ transcript的名词复数 ）；转写本；文字本；副本

参考例句：

• Like mRNA, both tRNA and rRNA are transcripts of chromosomal DNA. tRNA及rRNA同mRNA一样，都是染色体DNA的转录产物。 来自辞典例句
• You can't take the transfer students'exam without your transcripts. 没有成绩证明书，你就不能参加转学考试。 来自辞典例句