VOA双语新闻 Bird Flu Conference Urges $100 Million for Re

Delegates at a global conference on avian influenza¹ have called for at least $100 million in new funding to fight the disease before it has a chance to mutate into a human strain. The call came as Vietnam reported two new possible cases of bird flu in humans.

参加禽流感国际会议的代表要求新增加至少一亿美元的资金，用来防止禽流感病毒变异成为人类病毒。与此同时，越南报告说，又发现两个禽流感疑似病例。

The message at the closing session of a global conference on bird flu was clear: if the world wants to stop the deadly H5N1 strain from turning into a disastrous² human pandemic, it must act quickly to stop the virus in poultry³.

这次会议结束时传达了一个明确的信息：如果国际社会希望防止致命的H5N1病毒变成灾难性的人类瘟疫，就必须迅速采取行动，在禽类中消灭这种病毒。

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, or FAO, says H5N1 is endemic among poultry in Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia and China, and will not be stamped out quickly.

联合国粮农组织说，H5N1病毒在越南、印尼、泰国和中国的禽类中传播，不会很快消除。

So the best chance of preventing more human deaths is to contain the virus in poultry farms with better control and monitoring.

因此防止这种病毒危及更多人生命的最好办法是通过更好的监控手段把病毒控制在禽类农场里。

FAO official Samuel Jutzi stresses that H5N1 could turn into a virulent⁴ human strain at any time.

联合国粮农组织官员于茨强调说，H5N1病毒随时都可能转变成易传染的人体病毒。

"The threat is real and the potential is very high," he said. "The longer the virus circulates the way it does in poultry production systems and in ducks, the higher is the probability of exposure of humans and if we are indeed unlucky and have human influenza at the same time, there is increased likelihood of reassortment and therefore of the generation of pandemic."

于茨说，“这种危险是现实的，可能性也很大。病毒在禽类生产系统和鸭子中传播的时间越长，人类接触到病毒的可能性越大。如果我们不幸同时患有流感，这两类病毒之间再组合的可能就会增加，因此发生流行病的可能性也会增加。

Almost all the humans who have contracted bird flu were found to have been in close contact with chickens.

几乎所有的禽流感患者都曾经和鸡有过近距离接触。

So the FAO and the World Health Organization used the conference here in Ho Chi Minh City to call on the international community to help. They asked for $100 million to restructure farms and poultry markets so that fewer humans come in contact with the virus.

因此联合国粮农组织和世界卫生组织利用在胡志明市开会的机会呼吁国际社会提供一亿美元，改造禽类农场和市场，以减少人类接触禽流感病毒的机会。

Shigeru Omi, the World Health Organization's Asia director, says that sounding the alarm now is not meant to generate panic, and he denies suggestions that the scale of the problem might be exaggerated.

世界卫生组织亚洲部主任尾身茂说，拉响警报并不是为了制造恐慌，但是他同时否认这个问题的严重程度被夸张了。

"In my view, international organizations like us, it is our moral obligation to share this kind of information with the general public," he said.

尾身茂说，“和公众分享有关信息是我们这类国际组织的道义责任。”

As if to emphasize the potential toll⁵ of the virus, Vietnam confirmed that another patient has tested positive for H5N1. The 21-year-old man's teenage sister is being tested for the virus.

好像是为了强调这种病毒的危害性，越南证实又一名病人被检查出感染了H5N1禽流感病毒。这名21岁男子的妹妹也正在接受检查。

Vietnam has suffered more H5N1 cases than any other country, with 13 people killed by the disease since December. A total of 45 people from Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia have died from the H5N1 strain in little more than a year.

越南感染禽流感病毒的人数比其他任何国家都多，去年十二月以来，已经有十三人死于禽流感。在一年多一点的时间内，泰国、越南和柬埔寨共有45人死于H5N1病毒。

Scientists fear the number of human cases could rocket if the virus is allowed further contact with humans, which could allow it to mutate to spread easily from person-to-person.

科学家们担心如果人类继续接触H5N1病毒，受到感染的人就会急剧增加，从而使这种病毒很容易变异成为在人与人之间传播的病毒。

Vietnam and the United States are both racing⁶ to develop human vaccines⁷ for H5N1, but until those vaccines are ready, officials stress that animal control is the only way to stop the disease in its tracks.

越南和美国正在加紧研制对付H5N1病毒的人体疫苗，但是官员们强调，在疫苗研制出来之前，禽类控制是防止病毒传播的唯一方法。
 

1 influenza   

n.流行性感冒，流感

参考例句：

• They took steps to prevent the spread of influenza.他们采取措施
• Influenza is an infectious disease.流感是一种传染病。

2 disastrous   

adj.灾难性的，造成灾害的；极坏的，很糟的

参考例句：

• The heavy rainstorm caused a disastrous flood.暴雨成灾。
• Her investment had disastrous consequences.She lost everything she owned.她的投资结果很惨，血本无归。

3 poultry   

n.家禽，禽肉

参考例句：

• There is not much poultry in the shops. 商店里禽肉不太多。
• What do you feed the poultry on? 你们用什么饲料喂养家禽?

4 virulent   

adj.有毒的，有恶意的，充满敌意的

参考例句：

• She is very virulent about her former employer.她对她过去的老板恨之入骨。
• I stood up for her despite the virulent criticism.尽管她遭到恶毒的批评，我还是维护她。

5 toll   

n.过路(桥)费；损失，伤亡人数；v.敲(钟)

参考例句：

• The hailstone took a heavy toll of the crops in our village last night.昨晚那场冰雹损坏了我们村的庄稼。
• The war took a heavy toll of human life.这次战争夺去了许多人的生命。

6 racing   

n.竞赛，赛马；adj.竞赛用的，赛马用的

参考例句：

• I was watching the racing on television last night.昨晚我在电视上看赛马。
• The two racing drivers fenced for a chance to gain the lead.两个赛车手伺机竞相领先。

7 vaccines   

疫苗，痘苗( vaccine的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His team are at the forefront of scientific research into vaccines. 他的小组处于疫苗科研的最前沿。
• The vaccines were kept cool in refrigerators. 疫苗放在冰箱中冷藏。