国际组织动向—世界卫生组织称流感一旦爆发可能造成700万人死亡

WHO Says Seven Million Could Die in Flu Pandemic

世界卫生组织称流感一旦爆发可能造成700万人死亡

 

The World Health Organization warns between 25 and 35 percent of the world population could be affected¹ by a human influenza² pandemic, but the WHO says most people would survive. Health experts are meeting at the World Health Organization in Geneva to map out a plan of action to combat the possible spread of avian flu.

 

The World Health Organization Global Influenza Program Director Klaus Stohr says between two and seven million people would die from a mild pandemic and up to 28 million would be hospitalized. He adds everything has to be put into perspective.

 

Klaus Stohr: The good news is that the majority of people who are going to be ill will get away with it. Staying at home for one week, seeing a doctor yes or no. But, the small fraction which is going to be severely³ ill will be a challenge to the hospital system, hospital services. And there will be people who are going to die. The number is not insignificant⁴, two to seven million.

 

The WHO calculation is based on the prospect⁵ of a mild influenza outbreak, such as those which occurred in 1957 and 1968. Those pandemics killed three million people. It acknowledges that deaths could skyrocket in the event of a severe influenza pandemic, such as the one that swept the world in 1918, killing⁶ more than 40 million people.

 

The World Health Organization says more countries are taking the possibility of an influenza pandemic seriously. It says nearly 60 percent of the world's countries now have pandemic influenza programs in place. But, it calls them paper programs and says they must be implemented⁷ to be effective.

 

Last week, the United States released a national strategy of pandemic influenza preparedness. President Bush announced a $7.1 billion budget proposal to support this program.

 

Bruce Gellen is the Director of the National Vaccine⁸ Program Office in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. He says the plan is wide-ranging.

 

Bruce Gellen: It has the ability to reach into all sectors⁹ of society, therefore, engaging all sectors of society. You will see in that plan the development of an integrated government-wide response. But, also highlights the importance of the same level of integration¹⁰ at a state and local level, even at a personal family level. And, clearly at the same time at an international level.

 

Animal and health experts attending the meeting have identified a number of priority areas. These include the need to do more to control the avian flu virus in poultry¹¹ and to watch what is happening in Africa. The experts note that Africa is in the path of wild, migratory¹² birds which might be infected and could spread the virus to local domestic birds.

 

Lisa Schlein for VOA news, Geneva.

 

注释：

combat [5kCmbEt] v. 战斗，抗击

hospitalize [5hCspitElaiz] vt. 就医

skyrocket [skai5rCkit] v. 猛涨

preparedness [pri5pZEdnis] n. 有准备，已准备

1 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。

2 influenza   

n.流行性感冒，流感

参考例句：

• They took steps to prevent the spread of influenza.他们采取措施
• Influenza is an infectious disease.流感是一种传染病。

3 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。

4 insignificant   

adj.无关紧要的，可忽略的，无意义的

参考例句：

• In winter the effect was found to be insignificant.在冬季，这种作用是不明显的。
• This problem was insignificant compared to others she faced.这一问题与她面临的其他问题比较起来算不得什么。

5 prospect   

n.前景，前途；景色，视野

参考例句：

• This state of things holds out a cheerful prospect.事态呈现出可喜的前景。
• The prospect became more evident.前景变得更加明朗了。

6 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。

7 implemented   

v.实现( implement的过去式和过去分词 )；执行；贯彻；使生效

参考例句：

• This agreement, if not implemented, is a mere scrap of paper. 这个协定如不执行只不过是一纸空文。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The economy is in danger of collapse unless far-reaching reforms are implemented. 如果不实施影响深远的改革，经济就面临崩溃的危险。 来自辞典例句

8 vaccine   

n.牛痘苗，疫苗；adj.牛痘的，疫苗的

参考例句：

• The polio vaccine has saved millions of lives.脊髓灰质炎疫苗挽救了数以百万计的生命。
• She takes a vaccine against influenza every fall.她每年秋季接种流感疫苗。

9 sectors   

n.部门( sector的名词复数 )；领域；防御地区；扇形

参考例句：

• Berlin was divided into four sectors after the war. 战后柏林分成了4 个区。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Industry and agriculture are the two important sectors of the national economy. 工业和农业是国民经济的两个重要部门。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

10 integration   

n.一体化，联合，结合

参考例句：

• We are working to bring about closer political integration in the EU.我们正在努力实现欧盟內部更加紧密的政治一体化。
• This was the greatest event in the annals of European integration.这是欧洲统一史上最重大的事件。

11 poultry   

n.家禽，禽肉

参考例句：

• There is not much poultry in the shops. 商店里禽肉不太多。
• What do you feed the poultry on? 你们用什么饲料喂养家禽?

12 migratory   

n.候鸟，迁移

参考例句：

• Many migratory birds visit this lake annually.许多候鸟每年到这个湖上作短期逗留。
• This does not negate the idea of migratory aptitude.这并没有否定迁移能力这一概念。