VOA标准英语2014--Divisions on Ebola Quarantine Procedures Emerge in US

 

Divisions on Ebola Quarantine Procedures Emerge in US

Divisions have emerged between top U.S. health officials and two state governors who imposed rigorous quarantine protocols¹ for American medical professionals returning from Ebola-stricken African nations.

Fears of possible Ebola contagion² in one of America’s largest and most-densely populated cities, New York, led Governor Andrew Cuomo, and Governor Chris Christie in neighboring New Jersey³, to strengthen quarantine measures in their states.

Triggering concerns: Craig Spencer, a Doctors Without Borders physician who had worked in the West African nation of Guine and is now being treated for Ebola in a New York hospital while his fiancé remains⁴ under house quarantine.

'Dignity and humanity'

Also registering are complaints from a Kaci Hickox, a nurse who returned from Sierra Leone and is now under mandatory⁵ isolation⁶ in New Jersey. Hickox ran a fever but has tested negative for Ebola. She wrote a U.S. newspaper that “the U.S. must treat returning health care workers with dignity and humanity.”

“This is too serious to be dealing⁷ with voluntary quarantine. It makes no sense to me. We are significantly increasing the screening process for people who want to come into the New York-New Jersey area," Cuomo said.

"We have the legal authority to do it. We are doing it," Christie said.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, head of the National Institute of Allergy⁸ and Infectious Diseases in Maryland, is critical of quarantine protocols in New York and New Jersey.

"One, we need to protect the American public. But, two, we need to make decisions based on scientific data," Fauci said.

“As a scientist and a health care person, if I were asked, I would not have recommended that. The scientific data tells us that people who are without symptoms and with whom you do not come into contact with body fluids are not a threat," he said.

Cured Ebola patient

Last week, President Barack Obama hugged cured Ebola patient Nina Pham. Pham, a nurse, had contracted the disease while caring for a Liberian man in a Dallas, Texas, hospital.

Obama said, “We have to work together at every level: federal, state, and local. And we have to keep leading the global response, because the best way to stop this disease, the best way to keep Americans safe, is to stop it at its source in West Africa.”

But New Jersey Governor Christie is defending his decision to boost quarantine protocols.

“My first and foremost obligation is to protect the public health and safety of the people of New Jersey," he said.

As U.S. fears over Ebola continue, African immigrants marched to the United Nations, decrying⁹ stigmatization¹⁰ they perceive from society at large. 

1 protocols   

n.礼仪( protocol的名词复数 )；（外交条约的）草案；（数据传递的）协议；科学实验报告（或计划）

参考例句：

• There are also protocols on the testing of nuclear weapons. 也有关于核武器试验的协议。 来自辞典例句
• Hardware components and software design of network transport protocols are separately introduced. 介绍系统硬件组成及网络传输协议的软件设计。 来自互联网

2 contagion   

n.(通过接触的疾病)传染；蔓延

参考例句：

• A contagion of fear swept through the crowd.一种恐惧感在人群中迅速蔓延开。
• The product contagion effect has numerous implications for marketing managers and retailers.产品传染效应对市场营销管理者和零售商都有很多的启示。

3 jersey   

n.运动衫

参考例句：

• He wears a cotton jersey when he plays football.他穿运动衫踢足球。
• They were dressed alike in blue jersey and knickers.他们穿着一致，都是蓝色的运动衫和灯笼短裤。

4 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

5 mandatory   

adj.命令的；强制的；义务的；n.受托者

参考例句：

• It's mandatory to pay taxes.缴税是义务性的。
• There is no mandatory paid annual leave in the U.S.美国没有强制带薪年假。

6 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。

7 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

8 allergy   

n.(因食物、药物等而引起的)过敏症

参考例句：

• He developed an allergy to pollen.他对花粉过敏。
• The patient had an allergy to penicillin.该患者对青霉素过敏。

9 decrying   

v.公开反对，谴责( decry的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Soon Chinese Internet users, including government agencies, were decrying the' poisonous panda. 不久，中国网民以及政府机构纷纷谴责“影响极坏的熊猫烧香”。 来自互联网
• Democratic leaders are decrying President Bush's plan to indefinitely halt troop withdrawals from Iraq after July. 民主党领导公开谴责布什总统七月后无限停止从伊拉克撤兵的举动。 来自互联网

10 stigmatization   

n.描绘，陈述

参考例句：