新尿液测试能快速且无痛的检查疟疾

AS IT IS 2016-05-08 New Urine Test Offers Quick, Painless Check for Malaria¹ 新尿液测试能快速且无痛的检查疟疾

The government in Nigeria is urging citizens to use a new, simple test for malaria.

The test is available at Nigerian drugs stores. Each box sells for $12 and comes with five test strips. They offer a quick, painless way to inspect a person’s urine for signs of malaria.

Up until now, many Nigerians took medicine every time they developed a high body temperature, thinking that they might have the disease.

Malaria is caused by a parasite² called plasmodium. Mosquitoes infected with the organism pass the disease to people through mosquito bites.

The parasites³ reproduce in the human liver, and then infect red blood cells. After they enter the blood cells, they reproduce again. As they do this, they destroy the cells. 

Signs of the disease appear in victims 10 to 15 days after they are bitten. People with malaria develop chills and experience pain in the head or muscles. If not treated, malaria can even cause death. 

The new urine test kit⁴ is a product of Fyodor BioTechnology, an American company.

This is how the test works: The user collects urine in a small container. The person then puts a test stick in the liquid and leaves it there for 25 minutes. A one line reading on the stick means the person does not have malaria. Two lines is a sign of infection.

Ezzine Anyanwu lives in Nigeria. She likes the new test more than painful blood tests.

"I personally think that is revolutionary because being here and having a lot of family members that are not necessarily, they don’t necessarily take care of themselves well. So whenever anything is wrong, it's malaria. It doesn’t matter if it is some diet changes. Everything is malaria, and so they take medications.”

Malaria is spreading in many countries, including Nigeria. There are an estimated 425 million cases worldwide. The disease kills more than 400,000 people a year.

Fast detection of malaria is considered important for successful treatment.

"Malaria elimination⁵ in Nigeria is overdue,” said Victoria Enwenmadu of Fyodor Biotechnology. “A lot of countries have succeeded in eliminating malaria … and the Federal Ministry⁶ of Health is doing a lot of work to encourage proper care.”

Fyodor BioTechnology hopes to make the test available throughout Africa and Asia.

Words in This Story

kit – n. a set of tools or supplies that a person uses for a particular purpose or activity

urine – n. waste liquid that collects in the bladder before leaving the body

mosquito – n. a small flying insect that bites the skin of people and animals and sucks their blood

chills – n. a cold feeling; a degree of cold that can be felt and that is usually unpleasant

elimination – n. the end of something

strip – n. a long, narrow piece of something

1 malaria   

n.疟疾

参考例句：

• He had frequent attacks of malaria.他常患疟疾。
• Malaria is a kind of serious malady.疟疾是一种严重的疾病。

2 parasite   

n.寄生虫；寄生菌；食客

参考例句：

• The lazy man was a parasite on his family.那懒汉是家里的寄生虫。
• I don't want to be a parasite.I must earn my own way in life.我不想做寄生虫，我要自己养活自己。

3 parasites   

寄生物( parasite的名词复数 )； 靠他人为生的人； 诸虫

参考例句：

• These symptoms may be referable to virus infection rather than parasites. 这些症状也许是由病毒感染引起的，而与寄生虫无关。
• Kangaroos harbor a vast range of parasites. 袋鼠身上有各种各样的寄生虫。

4 kit   

n.用具包，成套工具；随身携带物

参考例句：

• The kit consisted of about twenty cosmetic items.整套工具包括大约20种化妆用品。
• The captain wants to inspect your kit.船长想检查你的行装。

5 elimination   

n.排除，消除，消灭

参考例句：

• Their elimination from the competition was a great surprise.他们在比赛中遭到淘汰是个很大的意外。
• I was eliminated from the 400 metres in the semi-finals.我在400米半决赛中被淘汰。

6 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。