VOA慢速英语--新冠疫情给饱受战争创伤的波斯尼亚人带来了新的恐惧和创伤

Pandemic Puts New Fears and Trauma¹ on War-Scarred Bosnians

Memories of the Bosnian War are shaping Zdenka Sutalo and the way she thinks about the novel coronavirus.

The 58-year-old woman attends group therapy meetings to work through her painful memories of the war, which lasted from 1992 until 1995. As a young woman in Sarajevo, she survived bombing campaigns, hunger and electricity shortages. She was forced to suspend her university studies because of the fighting.

These days Sutalo sometimes must be reminded that the coronavirus is a serious risk.

"The war was my most difficult experience in life," she said, after attending a therapy meeting.

"As for the pandemic," she added, "the world survived plague and cholera² and those are now just water under the bridge."

As coronavirus cases increase, the pandemic is creating more trouble in a poor nation that has never recovered economically or psychologically from the war. The fighting killed 100,000 people and forced 2.2 million others from their homes.

Bosnian health officials estimate that about 50 percent of the nation's nearly 3.5 million people suffered some form of trauma because of the war.

Mental health experts fear that the pandemic will now worsen mental health problems and other health risks. They are speaking of an increase of new patients coming to see them in recent months.

Tihana Majstorovic is a psychologist. She works for Menssana, a non-governmental mental health group in Sarajevo.

Majstorovic tole The Associated Press that the war experience was leading some Bosnians to downplay the threat of the pandemic, increasing the risk of its spread.

"People who survived the war perceive danger differently," she said. "Often, if they are not hungry, cold or have mortars³ exploding over their heads, they do not feel they are in danger."

They do not take the threat seriously because it seems so much less threatening than the war, Majstorovic explained.

Remzija Setic is also a psychologist. He said he, too, sees war survivors⁴ downplaying the risks of the virus.

But he also has patients who are fearful because, in some ways, this pandemic is like the war: always being indoors, seeing public spaces as dangerous, concern over getting food and separation from family and friends.

In addition, people are just tired of hearing about COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus.

Setic said that he is seeing a growing number of people who say they are extremely worried and physically⁵ tired. Also, many young Bosnians with no memory of the war are not taking the coronavirus seriously. The virus has infected nearly 56,000 people and killed more than 1,350 nationwide.

But in some ways, Bosnia is better equipped than some other countries to deal with the pandemic.

Because of the trauma from the war, the 25 year-recovery has included creating psychological support groups for the population. There are now more than 70 community based mental health centers in the country. These groups are also helping⁶ people deal with the virus.

"It is a fact that we have a lot of relevant experience ... and that we've learned many lessons that we could share," said Goran Cerkez. He is the assistant health minister in the larger of two largely autonomous⁷ areas.

After the war, Cerkez led an effort to reform Bosnia's mental health care system. He noted⁸ that people from the neighboring nations of Serbia and Croatia have been calling Bosnian support groups for assistance with pandemic related problems.

Based on his experiences, he expects the psychological effect of the coronavirus pandemic will be longer and more severe than it is now.

Words in This Story

therapy – n. the treatment of physical or mental illnesses

remind – v. to make (someone) think about something again : to cause (someone) to remember something

pandemic – n. an occurrence in which a disease spreads very quickly and affects a large number of people over a wide area or throughout the world

plague – n. a very serious disease that is spread especially by rats and that killed many people in the Middle Ages

cholera – n. a serious disease that causes severe vomiting⁹ and diarrhea and that often results in death

psychology¹⁰ – n. the science or study of the mind and behavior

trauma – n. a very difficult or unpleasant experience that causes someone to have mental or emotional problems usually for a long time

perceive – v. to notice or to become aware of something

relevant – adj. relating to a subject in an appropriate way

1 trauma   

n.外伤，精神创伤

参考例句：

• Counselling is helping him work through this trauma.心理辅导正帮助他面对痛苦。
• The phobia may have its root in a childhood trauma.恐惧症可能源于童年时期的创伤。

2 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。

3 mortars   

n.迫击炮( mortar的名词复数 )；砂浆；房产；研钵

参考例句：

• They could not move their heavy mortars over the swampy ground. 他们无法把重型迫击炮移过那片沼泽地。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Where the hell are his mortars? 他有迫击炮吗？ 来自教父部分

4 survivors   

幸存者，残存者，生还者( survivor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The survivors were adrift in a lifeboat for six days. 幸存者在救生艇上漂流了六天。
• survivors clinging to a raft 紧紧抓住救生筏的幸存者

5 physically   

adj.物质上，体格上，身体上，按自然规律

参考例句：

• He was out of sorts physically,as well as disordered mentally.他浑身不舒服，心绪也很乱。
• Every time I think about it I feel physically sick.一想起那件事我就感到极恶心。

6 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

7 autonomous   

adj.自治的；独立的

参考例句：

• They proudly declared themselves part of a new autonomous province.他们自豪地宣布成为新自治省的一部分。
• This is a matter that comes within the jurisdiction of the autonomous region.这件事是属于自治区权限以内的事务。

8 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

9 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。”

10 psychology   

n.心理，心理学，心理状态

参考例句：

• She has a background in child psychology.她受过儿童心理学的教育。
• He studied philosophy and psychology at Cambridge.他在剑桥大学学习哲学和心理学。