VOA标准英语2014--Ebola Spread Fuels Fear Among Americans, Africans

 

Ebola Spread Fuels Fear Among Americans, Africans

WASHINGTON— 

News that a Texas man was diagnosed with Ebola after returning home from a visit to Liberia has raised new concerns about the spread of the disease. For health workers the stakes are particularly high - more than 120 have died in West Africa since the Ebola outbreak began early this year. In the United States, public health experts are working to reassure¹ the public and medical workers that the virus does not endanger communities here.

The first Ebola patient to arrive in the United States flew on a plane specially² equipped and designed to prevent the spread of the virus. That patient, Kent Brantly, entered Emory University hospital through a special passage to the isolation³ unit.

During a news conference outside the hospital, Jay Varkey reassured⁴ the public that they were not at risk.

“I can’t think of a better place in the world, other than this hospital at Emory University, to care for this patient,” said Varkey.

Some hospitals in developed countries have isolation units equipped with their own laboratories. Technicians do all the lab work right in the unit. And yet, not every worker at Emory was comfortable with having an Ebola patient there.

"There was a lot of feedback that we got back from our staff that this infection is a death sentence. This infection can have 90 to 100 percent mortality rates," said Varkey.

Varkey and the hospital's other infectious disease experts met with staff members.

"We had key leaders in both nursing as well as the medical staff, infectious diseases [departments] who actually rounded in the hospital itself, from nursing station to nursing station and from unit to unit to make ourselves available to answer questions," recalled Varkey.

Brantly eventually recovered, as did a second patient, Nancy Writebol. Rick Sacra, the third Ebola patient flown to the U.S., was successfully treated at the University of Nebraska Hospital.

"Though my crisis has reached a successful end here, unfortunately, the Ebola crisis continues to spin out of control," said Sacra.

Modern hospitals in developed countries are far different from the situation in Africa, where more than 240 medical workers have contracted Ebola in recent months. Most hospitals lack the supplies to contain the disease. In one Ebola holding facility in Sierra Leone, at least three employees have died of the virus.

Nurses recently protested in Las Vegas, saying they are not trained to treat Ebola patients. Surveys show many Americans are afraid the Ebola virus might spread inside the U.S.

Thomas Frieden, the director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, tried to tamp⁵ down concerns after a Texas hospital admitted the Ebola patient who had arrived last month from Liberia.

"It's only spread by someone who is sick with the virus. And it's only spread through body fluids," said Frieden.

Frieden said the Ebola virus is something to fear, but as more people get into treatment early, more people will survive.

1 reassure   

v.使放心，使消除疑虑

参考例句：

• This seemed to reassure him and he continued more confidently.这似乎使他放心一点，于是他更有信心地继续说了下去。
• The airline tried to reassure the customers that the planes were safe.航空公司尽力让乘客相信飞机是安全的。

2 specially   

adv.特定地；特殊地；明确地

参考例句：

• They are specially packaged so that they stack easily.它们经过特别包装以便于堆放。
• The machine was designed specially for demolishing old buildings.这种机器是专为拆毁旧楼房而设计的。

3 isolation   

n.隔离，孤立，分解，分离

参考例句：

• The millionaire lived in complete isolation from the outside world.这位富翁过着与世隔绝的生活。
• He retired and lived in relative isolation.他退休后，生活比较孤寂。

4 reassured   

adj.使消除疑虑的；使放心的v.再保证，恢复信心( reassure的过去式和过去分词)

参考例句：

• The captain's confidence during the storm reassured the passengers. 在风暴中船长的信念使旅客们恢复了信心。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• The doctor reassured the old lady. 医生叫那位老妇人放心。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 tamp   

v.捣实，砸实

参考例句：

• Then I tamp down the soil with the back of a rake.然后我用耙子的背将土壤拍实。
• Philpott tamped a wad of tobacco into his pipe.菲尔波特往烟斗里塞了一卷碎烟叶。