VOA标准英语2010年-Health Care Activists Press for Cancer

“What is really scary is the WHO says that 70% of the new cancers that will be seen in the future are going to be affecting individuals in the developing nations -- the so-called poorer segments of the world. I am sure Nigeria is one of them."
The World Health Organization says 100,000 to 150,000 new cases of cancer are diagnosed every year in Nigeria, and the figure is expected to hit 500,000 in the next decade. Health workers say the government and the people must work together to reduce new cases.

A leading Nigerian blood specialist is alarmed at the growing numbers of cases of cancer – the name given to a class of diseases characterized by the uncontrolled growth of cells, which then form tumors. If they aren’t treated, they’re usually fatal.

Dr. Sagir Ahmed of Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital in Kano was one of the organizers and speakers at a conference on the challenges of diagnosing cancer in Nigeria:

“What is [really scary] is the WHO says that 70% of the new cancers that will be seen in the future are going to be affecting individuals in the developing nations -- the so-called poorer segments of the world. I am sure Nigeria is one of [them], and we must get ready to face those new cases being forecast by the World Health Organization.”

Dr. Ahmed says the most common cancers among those expected to increase are of the breast, cervix, colon¹, lungs and prostate.

He says because of the complex nature of the disease, early detection through screening is the best way to prevent it.

That is already being done, says Dr. Bawa Ahmed Abimiku, the president of the Nigerian Cancer Society and the chief medical officer at Federal Medical Center in Keffi, Nassarawa state.

“Having known the cost, pattern, and progression of different cancers, “ says Dr. Abimiku, “we are now calling on people to be aware; they should come for screening. Every cancer has its own screening test. In fact, we...look for early signs of cancer [and provide treatment].”

Dr. Ahmed says the government and the public both have roles to play in treating the disease. He recently spoke² at a conference on the challenges of diagnosing cancer in Nigeria -- a meeting he helped organize.

“We must be extra vigilant,” says the doctor. “The government must play its role as to make the environment safe and remove all environmental factors that may [contribute to] cancer.”

Good sources of drinking water, he says, will stop people from going to streams and ponds, where they get infected with some of these organisms. The government, he says, “must also intensify³ vaccination⁴ against all infectious agents, all viruses that are known to be strongly associated with the development of cancer.”

The government should increase its efforts to prevent illnesses with links to cancer, he says, such as hepatitis, a disease of the liver, and the human papillomavirus (pap-ah-LO-mah-VYE-rus), which is transmitted during intercourse⁵ and is linked to cervical cancer.

Dr. Ahmed says people can also adjust their lifestyles:

People should abstain⁶, the doctor says “from smoking, indiscriminate sexual inter-course and refrain from factors known to be associated with cancer, such as drug abuse.”

The Nigeria Cancer Society is working with NGOs to create public awareness⁷ campaigns that include radio and television advertisements, handbills, pamphlets and other educational materials that are distributed in schools, hospitals and other public places.

 

1 colon   

n.冒号，结肠，直肠

参考例句：

• Here,too,the colon must be followed by a dash.这里也是一样，应当在冒号后加破折号。
• The colon is the locus of a large concentration of bacteria.结肠是大浓度的细菌所在地。

2 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

3 intensify   

vt.加强；变强；加剧

参考例句：

• We must intensify our educational work among our own troops.我们必须加强自己部队的教育工作。
• They were ordered to intensify their patrols to protect our air space.他们奉命加强巡逻，保卫我国的领空。

4 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。

5 intercourse   

n.性交；交流，交往，交际

参考例句：

• The magazine becomes a cultural medium of intercourse between the two peoples.该杂志成为两民族间文化交流的媒介。
• There was close intercourse between them.他们过往很密。

6 abstain   

v.自制，戒绝，弃权，避免

参考例句：

• His doctor ordered him to abstain from beer and wine.他的医生嘱咐他戒酒。
• Three Conservative MPs abstained in the vote.三位保守党下院议员投了弃权票。

7 awareness   

n.意识，觉悟，懂事，明智

参考例句：

• There is a general awareness that smoking is harmful.人们普遍认识到吸烟有害健康。
• Environmental awareness has increased over the years.这些年来人们的环境意识增强了。