VOA新闻杂志2022--印尼口蹄疫可能影响开斋节

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Foot and Mouth Disease in Indonesia Could Affect Eid Festival

An outbreak of foot and mouth disease in Indonesia is threatening to disrupt the country's Eid al-Adha festival.

The festival happens during the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha. It celebrates the Prophet Abraham and his willingness to sacrifice his son. Muslims often mark the holiday by killing¹ sheep, cattle or goats. Some of the animal meat is given to the poor.

Foot and mouth disease, which sickens animals, is a big threat to agriculture and food producers.

This year, the Eid al-Adha holiday falls on July 9. But, animal traders have reported lower sales this year because of the presence of foot and mouth disease.

The disease can spread quickly among animals including cattle, sheep, goats and pigs. While it can be deadly for animals, foot and mouth is not generally considered a threat to human health.

"This year is a year of loss for us," said Jamal Lulay, a trader in West Java. He told Reuters news agency he had only sold 50 cows this year. "Before COVID, we could sell up to 330 cows, and during COVID it was around 170... This year sales have dropped drastically."

Indonesia launched a nationwide animal vaccination² program in an attempt to limit the outbreak, which began in May.

More than 317,000 animals have been infected in 21 Indonesian provinces. Government records show that more than 3,400 animals had been killed in an effort to contain disease spread.

Muhammad Husein al Bana is a livestock³ trader in Jakarta. He told Reuters, "People's enthusiasm for sacrifice has not been diminished, but they are more worried about the health (of the animals)."

Until the last outbreak, Indonesia had been free of foot and mouth disease since 1986.

Iskandar Saputra is a Jakarta buyer who said he is still willing to take the risk. "Ultimately it is the consumer's decision," he said. But he added, "I think the cows sold here are safe and healthy."

Words in This Story

disrupt – v. to interfere⁴ with a normal activity

drastic – adj. extreme or severe in effect or action

enthusiasm – n. strong excitement about something

diminish – v. to become or cause something to become less in size, importance or some other quality

ultimately – adv. at the end of a process, period of time or at something's most basic level

consumer – n. a person who buys goods and services

1 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

2 vaccination   

n.接种疫苗，种痘

参考例句：

• Vaccination is a preventive against smallpox.种痘是预防天花的方法。
• Doctors suggest getting a tetanus vaccination every ten years.医生建议每十年注射一次破伤风疫苗。

3 livestock   

n.家畜，牲畜

参考例句：

• Both men and livestock are flourishing.人畜两旺。
• The heavy rains and flooding killed scores of livestock.暴雨和大水淹死了许多牲口。

4 interfere   

v.(in)干涉，干预；(with)妨碍，打扰

参考例句：

• If we interfere, it may do more harm than good.如果我们干预的话，可能弊多利少。
• When others interfere in the affair,it always makes troubles. 别人一卷入这一事件，棘手的事情就来了。