African swine fever spreading into Europe

 ROME, May 26 (Xinhua) -- African swine fever, a viral disease deadly to pigs but harmless to human beings, is spreading beyond Russia and the Caucasus region into Europe, the United Nations' food agency said Thursday.

"African swine fever is fast becoming a global issue," said Juan Lubroth, chief veterinary(兽医) officer for the Food and Agriculture Organization.

"It now poses an immediate¹ threat to Europe and beyond. Countries need to be on the alert and to strengthen their preparedness and contingency² plans," he said.

The disease, for which there is currently no vaccine³, was introduced into Georgia from southern Africa late in 2006. It entered through the Black Sea port of Poti, where garbage from a ship was taken to a dump where pigs came to feed, the FAO said.

Strategies to tackle African swine fever include quarantine, on-farm security and other measures aimed at minimizing the risk of introduction and establishing of the disease.(本文由在线英语听力室整理编辑)

1 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

2 contingency   

n.意外事件，可能性

参考例句：

• We should be prepared for any contingency.我们应该对任何应急情况有所准备。
• A fire in our warehouse was a contingency that we had not expected.库房的一场大火是我们始料未及的。

3 vaccine   

n.牛痘苗，疫苗；adj.牛痘的，疫苗的

参考例句：

• The polio vaccine has saved millions of lives.脊髓灰质炎疫苗挽救了数以百万计的生命。
• She takes a vaccine against influenza every fall.她每年秋季接种流感疫苗。