研究显示埃博拉病毒摧毁了利比里亚的卫生保健系统

Study: Ebola Crisis Damaged Liberian Health Care System

A new study says more than 100,000 malaria¹ cases went untreated in Liberia during the height of the Ebola crisis. The deadly virus spread in West Africa for two years beginning in 2014.

The disease killed about 11,000 people. But it also severely² affected³ basic health care services.

Ebola kills about half of those it infects. It causes flu-like effects first, then vomiting⁵ and diarrhea. It can lead to severe bleeding both inside and outside the body. The disease spreads through contact with an infected person’s body fluids.

Three countries were mainly affected in the West African spread: Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia. None were well-prepared to deal with the event. Many clinics did not even have the protective tools needed to safely deal with Ebola patients, like gloves and face masks.

Bradley Wagenaar was the lead researcher of the University of Washington study.

“Rightfully so, people were afraid to go to the clinic because they might get Ebola when they’re at the clinic.”

The team looked at records from 379 clinics outside the Liberian capital, Monrovia. The records covered a period from 2010 through 2016.

Wagenaar says the researchers saw what he called a “huge, dramatic decrease” in basic health care services early in the outbreak. They found measles⁶ vaccinations⁷ dropped by 67 percent, malaria prevention fell by 61 percent and 35 percent fewer women got early pregnancy⁸ care.

The researchers say it took a full year and a half for health services to return to the levels they were before the Ebola outbreak.

Lost possibilities

The researcher estimate that a loss of a possible 750,000 clinic visits took place during the crisis. That includes more than 5,000 births at health care centers. Liberia already suffers one the world’s highest maternal⁹ death rates. The research suggests that about 100,000 malarial¹⁰ treatments were lost, as well.

Wagenaar says the number suggest the losses also of other usual services, like mosquito control and protection devices.

“Some of those other things didn’t happen during the Ebola outbreak because the health system and other partners were busy with other issues. And now, the cases have been increasing.”

In December 2017, malaria cases were 50 percent higher than they were before the Ebola crisis.

Wagenaar says the research shows how much more attention is needed to continue basic services during a health emergency. The research on Liberia’s health care services could be used during future outbreaks. Wagenaar’s team hopes it might help health care officials decide what services are most important to continue in an emergency.

I'm Rachel Dennis.

Words in This Story

vomit⁴ – v. a sickness that causes food, liquid, etc., in your stomach to come out through your mouth?

diarrhea – n. a sickness that causes the body to expel waste often and in liquid rather than solid form?

clinic – n. a place where people get medical help?

outbreak – n. the sudden start or increase of a disease or fighting

maternal – adj. of or relating to a woman who is having a baby

1 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。

2 severely   

adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地

参考例句：

• He was severely criticized and removed from his post.他受到了严厉的批评并且被撤了职。
• He is severely put down for his careless work.他因工作上的粗心大意而受到了严厉的批评。

3 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

4 vomit   

v.呕吐，作呕；n.呕吐物，吐出物

参考例句：

• They gave her salty water to make her vomit.他们给她喝盐水好让她吐出来。
• She was stricken by pain and began to vomit.她感到一阵疼痛，开始呕吐起来。

5 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。”

6 measles   

n.麻疹，风疹，包虫病，痧子

参考例句：

• The doctor is quite definite about Tom having measles.医生十分肯定汤姆得了麻疹。
• The doctor told her to watch out for symptoms of measles.医生叫她注意麻疹出现的症状。

7 vaccinations   

n.种痘，接种( vaccination的名词复数 )；牛痘疤

参考例句：

• Vaccinations ensure one against diseases. 接种疫苗可以预防疾病。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• I read some publicity about vaccinations while waiting my turn at the doctor's. 在医生那儿候诊时，我读了一些关于接种疫苗的宣传。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 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。

9 maternal   

adj.母亲的，母亲般的，母系的，母方的

参考例句：

• He is my maternal uncle.他是我舅舅。
• The sight of the hopeless little boy aroused her maternal instincts.那个绝望的小男孩的模样唤起了她的母性。

10 malarial   

患疟疾的，毒气的

参考例句：

• Malarial poison had sallowed his skin. 疟疾病毒使他皮肤成灰黄色。
• Standing water like this gives malarial mosquitoes the perfect place to breed. 像这样的死水给了传染疟疾的蚊子绝佳的繁殖地点。