VOA标准英语2013--Global Health Faces Big Industry Challenges

 

Global Health Faces Big Industry Challenges

 

The 8th Global Conference on Health Promotion¹ is underway in Helsinki, Finland. The meeting focuses on how public policy can meet the health challenges of a growing and changing global population.

WHO Director-General Dr. Margaret Chan says the challenges facing public health have changed enormously since the start of the 21st Century. She said that health is being shaped by ageing, rapid urbanization and the globalization of unhealthy lifestyles.

“Under the pressure of these forces, chronic² noncommunicable diseases have overtaken infectious diseases as the leading cause or morbidity³, disability and mortality. As stated in the United Nations Political Declaration on Noncommunicable Diseases, prevention must be the cornerstone of the global response to these costly⁴, deadly and demanding diseases.”

For example, she said the costs for advanced cancer care are unsustainable, even in rich nations. In some countries, 15 percent of the health budget is devoted⁵ to diabetes⁶.

“In the developing world, the cost of these diseases can easily cancel out the benefits of economic gain,” she said.

Dr. Chan said that it’s getting more difficult to get people to adopt healthy lifestyles. Behavior change faces opposition⁷ “unfriendly forces.”

“Efforts to prevent noncommunicable diseases go against business interests. And these are powerful economic operators. It is not just Big Tobacco anymore. Public health must also contend with Big Food, Big Soda⁸ and Big Alcohol. All of these industries fear regulation and protect themselves by using the same tactics,” she said.

The WHO Director-general said those tactics include “front groups, lobbies, promises of self-regulation, lawsuits⁹ and industry funded research that confuses the evidence and keeps the public in doubt.”

The Global Conference on Health Promotion runs through June 14th.

1 promotion   

n.提升，晋级；促销，宣传

参考例句：

• The teacher conferred with the principal about Dick's promotion.教师与校长商谈了迪克的升级问题。
• The clerk was given a promotion and an increase in salary.那个职员升了级，加了薪。

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 morbidity   

n.病态；不健全；发病；发病率

参考例句：

• MC's also significantly reduce the morbidity and mortality induced by honeybee venom. 肥大细胞同样也能显著降低蜜蜂毒液诱发疾病的发病率和死亡率。 来自互联网
• The result shows that incidence of myopia morbidity is 44.84%. 结果表明：近视眼的发病率为44.84%。 来自互联网

4 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。

5 devoted   

adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的

参考例句：

• He devoted his life to the educational cause of the motherland.他为祖国的教育事业贡献了一生。
• We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。

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 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

8 soda   

n.苏打水；汽水

参考例句：

• She doesn't enjoy drinking chocolate soda.她不喜欢喝巧克力汽水。
• I will freshen your drink with more soda and ice cubes.我给你的饮料重加一些苏打水和冰块。

9 lawsuits   

n.诉讼( lawsuit的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Lawsuits involving property rights and farming and grazing rights increased markedly. 涉及财产权，耕作与放牧权的诉讼案件显著地增加。 来自辞典例句
• I've lost and won more lawsuits than any man in England. 全英国的人算我官司打得最多，赢的也多，输的也多。 来自辞典例句