VOA常速英语2013--世界卫生组织誓要根除非洲之角脊髓灰质炎疫情（在线收听）

Horn of Africa Polio Outbreak Thwarts Global Eradication Effort 世界卫生组织誓要根除非洲之角脊髓灰质炎疫情

The global community came tantalizingly close earlier this year to ridding the world of polio.  But then in May, the eradication effort took a powerful blow. The virus turned up again in the Horn of Africa, first in Somalia.  

The Banadir region of Somalia, which includes a Mogadishu refugee camp, is thought to be the so-called “engine” of the Horn of Africa polio outbreak.

 包括一个摩加迪沙难民营在内的索马里巴纳迪尔地区被称为非洲之角脊髓灰质炎爆发的“根源地”。

In June, three-year-old Mohamed Naasir became ill.  His mother, Khadija Abdullahi Adam, said soon after one leg became permanently disabled.

 3岁的穆罕默德·纳斯里在今年6月患上这种疾病。他的母亲哈迪加·阿卜杜拉希·亚当称不久后自己孩子的一条腿成为终身残疾。

“My son was fine, but he started having a high fever which lasted for almost four days," she explained.  "I gave him medicine, but there was no change.  The following morning he said to me ‘Mom, I can’t stand up.’”

 “我的儿子曾经还好,但他开始持续将近四天的发高烧,”她解释道。“我让他服药,但没有改变。第二天上午他对我说:妈妈,我站不起来了。”

The virus has spread at a rapid pace, triggering massive vaccination efforts.

 飞速传播的病毒引发大规模的疫苗接种工作。

Earlier in 2013, polio was confined to three so-called “endemic countries” -- Nigeria, Afghanistan and Pakistan -- where the virus has never been snuffed out.  Combined there were fewer than 100 cases in those three countries.

 在2013年的早些时候,脊髓灰质炎仅仅局限于尼日利亚、阿富汗和巴基斯坦这三个所谓的“流行病国家”，这里的病毒从未被扼杀。而这三个国家的病例总和少于100例。

Since the virus re-emerged in the Horn of Africa, there have been at least 160 polio cases in Somalia alone, and the virus has spread to Kenya and Ethiopia.

 然而自从病毒再次出现在非洲之角, 仅在索马里就已经有至少160例脊髓灰质炎病例,而且病毒已经扩散到肯尼亚和埃塞俄比亚。

Genetic analysts suggest the virus sweeping through the Horn of Africa is most similar to the strain found in Nigeria.

 遗传分析表明席卷非洲之角的该病毒最类似于在尼日利亚发现的菌株。

Partners working to eradicate polio, such as the World Health Organization, UNICEF and Rotary International, say the virus can spread more easily in Somalia, which has the largest group of unvaccinated children.  That’s largely because conflict has kept vaccination crews from being able to reach them.  But there are other problems too, according to Rotary International’s Dr. John Sever.

 世界卫生组织，联合国儿童基金会及扶轮国际等的组织合作努力根除小儿麻痹症, 这些组织称病毒可以很容易在索马里最大群未接种疫苗的儿童间传播。这主要是由于冲突使得疫苗接种人员无法接近他们。 但根据国际扶轮博士约翰·赛弗称也有其他方面的问题。

“The problems of being remote, problems of distrust on the part of the families, the problems of communication, the problems of mapping and realizing where these people are and they migrate from one area to another,” Sever said.

“偏远问题,家庭的部分不信任问题，沟通问题,测量绘制地图问题及认识到这些人现在在哪里,以及他们从一个区域迁移到另一个等问题比比皆是,” 赛弗说道。

Many families are suspicious of outsiders, especially from the West. 

 许多家庭对外人心存戒备,尤其是来自西方的人。

So for vaccination crews, it is vital that they work with local government and religious leaders, like Somali Islamic scholar Sheikh Abdulkadir Homhamed Soomow.

 所以疫苗接种人员与当地政府及宗教领袖协作就显得至关重要的,比如同索马里伊斯兰学者谢赫·阿卜杜拉迪尔·默罕默德·斯莫的合作就是这样。

“We urge the people of Somalia to be vaccinated. The doctors tell us that polio can kill and it’s harmful to both adults and children,” he said.

 “我们敦促索马里人民接种疫苗。医生告诉我们脊髓灰质炎可以置人于死地而且大人和孩子同样受到威胁。”他说道。

Recently, global partners pledged $5.5 billion for a five-year plan to end polio once and for all.  The plan, now underway, includes blanketing polio hotspots with vaccination crews, to essentially corner and kill the enemy.  

 最近全球合作组织承诺55亿美元的5年计划以彻底终结小儿麻痹症。现在正在进行的这一计划包括脊髓灰质炎疫苗接种人员覆盖热点地区,以达到基本上围追堵截杀灭细菌。

“We’re getting closer, that’s the encouraging part," Dr. Sever said, adding that global partners know what to do and still hope to rid the world of polio by 2015. 

“我们已经越来越接近了,这是激动人心的时刻,” 赛弗博士表示全球合作组织知道要做什么,而且还希望到2015年全球根除脊髓灰质炎。