VOA标准英语2013--US Plays Unique Role in Fighting Deadliest Diseases

 

US Plays Unique Role in Fighting Deadliest Diseases

Looking back over 25 years ago, there was no AIDS cure. Treatment was limited. The diagnosis¹ ... a death sentence. Two American doctors, Eric Goosby and Anthony Fauci, were there at the beginning and are still working to stop this disease. Dr. Fauci heads AIDS research at the National Institutes of Health. Under his guidance, we now have a better understanding of AIDS. We know how to keep it from spreading, and we have treatments that have transformed AIDS into a chronic² disease.

"We can, in the reasonable future, look forward to an AIDS free generation. That's an important impact that has come from a number of resources, but predominately from the research at NIH," he stated. 

Ambassador Eric Goosby M.D, who heads the Office of Global Health Diplomacy³ at the U.S. Department of State, has helped developing countries build clinics and set up systems to treat AIDS. Dr. Goosby says these countries are taking leadership roles in health care planning and the talk is now about treating other infectious diseases as well as chronic diseases like high blood pressure. Private groups such as the Ford⁴ Foundation and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation have also provided critical support.

"If we can do it for HIV, we can do it for those diseases, and that is the moment I think we're in for -- services to be added on top of this already existing platform to serve the people who are HIV positive, but also those in the community that have other diseases that are not associated with HIV," said Goosby.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is an agency that also works internationally and provides critical leadership in relieving the global burden of disease. Dr. Thomas Frieden is it's director.

"We need to make sure that we do everything that we can to stop measles⁵ and rubella, to reduce meningitis and waterborne and forborne diseases," he said. "But first, we need to prepare the world to work together to address cancer, diabetes⁶, heart disease, stroke, things that are largely preventable with the tools that we have today."

Diseases change constantly. New ones develop. Old ones mutate. Drugs that once contained them no longer work. These changes threaten the health and security of every nation in the world. And that's why medical collaboration⁷ is more important today than ever before, according to the head of the NIH, Dr. Francis Collins.

"The idea that health can be restricted to one country and treated as if it's not connected to the rest of the world simply doesn't work anymore," Collins noted⁸.

The doctors say the US needs to continue its leadership in medical research and its collaboration with other countries as equal partners in global health to benefit people everywhere. 

1 diagnosis   

n.诊断，诊断结果，调查分析，判断

参考例句：

• His symptoms gave no obvious pointer to a possible diagnosis.他的症状无法作出明确的诊断。
• The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做一次彻底的调查分析。

2 chronic   

adj.(疾病)长期未愈的，慢性的；极坏的

参考例句：

• Famine differs from chronic malnutrition.饥荒不同于慢性营养不良。
• Chronic poisoning may lead to death from inanition.慢性中毒也可能由虚弱导致死亡。

3 diplomacy   

n.外交；外交手腕，交际手腕

参考例句：

• The talks have now gone into a stage of quiet diplomacy.会谈现在已经进入了“温和外交”阶段。
• This was done through the skill in diplomacy. 这是通过外交手腕才做到的。

4 Ford   

n.浅滩，水浅可涉处；v.涉水，涉过

参考例句：

• They were guarding the bridge,so we forded the river.他们驻守在那座桥上，所以我们只能涉水过河。
• If you decide to ford a stream,be extremely careful.如果已决定要涉过小溪，必须极度小心。

5 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。

6 diabetes   

n.糖尿病

参考例句：

• In case of diabetes, physicians advise against the use of sugar.对于糖尿病患者，医生告诫他们不要吃糖。
• Diabetes is caused by a fault in the insulin production of the body.糖尿病是由体內胰岛素分泌失调引起的。

7 collaboration   

n.合作，协作；勾结

参考例句：

• The two companies are working in close collaboration each other.这两家公司密切合作。
• He was shot for collaboration with the enemy.他因通敌而被枪毙了。

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。