From Learning English, this is the Health Report.
On Thailands border with Myanmar, also known as Burma, a malaria research and treatment center is increasing efforts to kill, or eliminate, a drug-resistant form of the parasite before it spreads abroad. correspondent Steve Sandford reports from Thailand.
A health center near a busy border crossing in Thailand has had great success over the last 20 years in reducing the effect of malaria.
Cases of the disease have greatly decreased. But doctors like Cindy Chu remain worried.
We used to see a lot of malaria at the Wangpha clinic but now with efforts of elimination and active surveillance and even the setting up of malaria posts on the other side of the border, the malaria rates have really gone down. So we dont see as much malaria as we used to. On the other hand, the malaria that we do see is more complicated. And because of artemisinin resistance, the cases we see here require additional therapy.
Medicines called Artemisinin have been highly effective against malaria when used in combination with other drugs. Using a combination of drugs is called a cocktail.
But in five countries in Southeast Asia -- Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand, Myanmar and Laos -- the malaria organism, or parasite, has developed a resistance to the treatment. Drug-resistant means that the drug no longer treats the disease.
Doctors can still treat infected patients with stronger drug cocktails. But they worry that it is just a matter of time before those medicines also become ineffective.
Dr. Francois Nosten has been leading research on the Thai - Myanmar border for the past 30 years. He says that the clock is ticking, meaning time is running out.
This is a global public health emergency because we could see in our studies that the progression of resistance is quite fast. For example in none of the patients were infected with a resistant parasite. In , 80% of the patients are infected with the resistant parasite, so in just a few years the majority of the infections are caused by the resistant parasite.
Dr. Nosten wants a stronger method of dealing with resistant malaria to control its spread. He wants to give medicine to whole villages where the parasite can lie inactive and unseen in many people.
What we predict is in order to stop the progression of artemisinin resistance, we need to eliminate malaria. Its not good to just reduce the number of cases, reduce the transmission of the disease, we need to eliminate the parasite.
Medical teams are making plans to give anti-malarial drugs in villages where many cases of malaria have been reported. Many are hoping that this effort will stop the spread of an increasingly dangerous parasite.
Im Anna Matteo.
词汇讲解:
1. eliminate vt.排除,消除
例句:We should eliminate as many potential disguises as possible.
我们尽量消灭潜在假象。
2. decrease vi. 减少,减小
例句:There has been a modest decrease in house prices this year.
房价今略有下降。
3. combination n.合作; 密码组合
例句:Its a winning combination that no competitor has yet been able to challenge.
这是一种必胜的组合,很少有竞争者可以匹敌。
4. resistance n.抵抗; 阻力
例句:An aircraft has to overcome the resistance of the air.
飞机须克服空气的阻力。
5. infect vt.使受影响,感染
例句:Go away, I dont want to infect you with my cold.
走开,我可不想把我的感冒传染给你。
6. transmission n.播送; 传送
例句:The letter was delayed in transmission.
这封信在传递中被耽误了。
短语讲解:
1. We used to see a lot of malaria at the Wangpha clinic but now with efforts of elimination and active surveillance and even the setting up of malaria posts on the other side of the border, the malaria rates have really gone down.
set up 建立; 准备
例句:The students also set up debating teams.
学生们还成立了辩论队。
2. On the other hand, the malaria that we do see is more complicated. And because of artemisinin resistance, the cases we see here require additional therapy.
on the other hand 在另一方面
例句:On the other hand, it looks like many members of the periphery are about to blink.
另一方面,很多外围成员国看来即将让步。
3. Drug-resistant means that the drug no longer treats the disease.
no longer 不再
例句:She no longer probed her reasons.
她不再去探究自己的理由了。
4. He says that the clock is ticking, meaning time is running out.
run out 用完; 耗尽;
例句: The aircraft will run out of fuel in another hour.
飞机再过一小时燃料就将用完。
5. What we predict is in order to stop the progression of artemisinin resistance, we need to eliminate malaria.
in order to 为了
例句:In order to catch up with in time he run very fast.
为了及时赶到他跑得很快。
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