VOA慢速英语2010年-Development Report - A Simple Operatio

This is the VOA Special English Development Report.

A medical aid program in Kenya offers hope to women and girls suffering from a condition known as fistula.

About two million women and girls worldwide have the condition. There are about one thousand new cases of fistula each year in Kenya and as many as one hundred thousand worldwide. Most cases of fistula are in Africa and Asia.

Last month, the African Medical and Research Foundation held a medical camp in Kenya to provide free operations to those with the condition.

A fistula is a hole that develops between two organs. Obstetric fistulas are caused by obstructed¹ childbirth. When a baby's head is stuck in the birth canal for an extended period of time, it cuts off the blood supply to the woman's surrounding organs. This causes the tissues to die.

The woman is left with a hole between her vagina and her bladder or rectum. This causes her to continuously leak urine or feces. It may also prevent her from having other children, or having sexual relations.

If left untreated, fistula can cause other health problems. These include skin infections, kidney disorders² and even death. Many women suffer intense shame and social rejection³ because of their condition.

Patients at the Addis Ababa Fistula Hospital in Ethiopia

Rose Opiyo developed fistula during childbirth twenty-three years ago.

ROSE OPIYO (TRANSLATED): "I had many problems. I could not go to my farm or conduct my business. There was nothing I could do. When you have this kind of a problem, you can only take care of your body. There is nothing else you can do. People hated me."

Many fistula sufferers are rejected and abandoned by their family and friends. Mrs. Opiyo's husband left her.

ROSE OPIYO (TRANSLATED): "He hated me because of the problem that I had. He eventually left me and married another woman."

Mrs. Opiyo was among the women who visited the free medical camp in Kenya to have operations to correct their condition. The World Health Organization says the simple operation can cure up to ninety percent of fistulas.

The organization also says fistula can largely be prevented. It advises girls to delay their first pregnancy⁴ until their bodies have fully⁵ developed. This reduces the risk of long and obstructed childbirth.

The organization also calls for an increase in quality health care and an end to harmful traditional practices like female genital cutting.

And that's the VOA Special English Development Report, written by June Simms. Transcripts⁶, MP3s and podcasts of our reports are at voaspecialenglish.com. I'm Steve Ember.

 

1 obstructed   

阻塞( obstruct的过去式和过去分词 )； 堵塞； 阻碍； 阻止

参考例句：

• Tall trees obstructed his view of the road. 有大树挡着，他看不到道路。
• The Irish and Bristol Channels were closed or grievously obstructed. 爱尔兰海峡和布里斯托尔海峡或遭受封锁，或受到了严重阻碍。

2 disorders   

n.混乱( disorder的名词复数 )；凌乱；骚乱；（身心、机能）失调

参考例句：

• Reports of anorexia and other eating disorders are on the increase. 据报告，厌食症和其他饮食方面的功能紊乱发生率正在不断增长。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The announcement led to violent civil disorders. 这项宣布引起剧烈的骚乱。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 rejection   

n.拒绝，被拒，抛弃，被弃

参考例句：

• He decided not to approach her for fear of rejection.他因怕遭拒绝决定不再去找她。
• The rejection plunged her into the dark depths of despair.遭到拒绝使她陷入了绝望的深渊。

4 pregnancy   

n.怀孕，怀孕期

参考例句：

• Early pregnancy is often accompanied by nausea.怀孕早期常有恶心的现象。
• Smoking during pregnancy increases the risk of miscarriage.怀孕期吸烟会增加流产的危险。

5 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

6 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