VOA健康报道2024--South America Dengue Increase Brings Vaccination Drive

South America Dengue Increase Brings Vaccination¹ Drive

From VOA Learning English, this is the Health & Lifestyle report.

During the southern hemisphere summer, South America is experiencing a sharp increase in cases of dengue, a mosquito-borne disease common in much of Latin America.

The symptoms, or signs, of dengue are high fever, extreme tiredness, muscle pain, and internal bleeding. In Brazil, dengue is often called "breakbone fever" for the severe joint² pain it causes. Sometimes, people with the disease show no symptoms. But dengue can be deadly.

New dengue vaccine³

In Brazil, officials plan to start a new dengue vaccine campaign. The program, which could begin within days, will make Brazil the first country in the world to offer dengue vaccine.

In January, Brazil also started spraying insecticide from trucks as the disease spread to earlier unaffected areas. Because of the increase in dengue cases, hospitals in Paraguay have set up health centers at night to care for the sick.

In 2023, cases of dengue have set record highs in Latin America. Health official records show Argentina with a sharp increase of 12,500 cases of dengue last December. It is a big jump compared with the same period a year ago.

The increase has led to health warnings and shortages of insect repellent.

"Repellent sold out everywhere, there were literal clouds of mosquitoes," Laura Ledesma told Reuters from Argentina's capital of Buenos Aires. She added that there were signs the situation had begun to improve.

Weather changes are affecting the spread of disease

Scientists say the spread of dengue, in South America and other areas, is worsened by rising temperatures and the El Nino weather pattern in the Pacific. Both events also add to a longer dengue season.

"Climate change has expanded the range for mosquitoes to breed, both in the Americas and globally," Thais dos Santos told Reuters. He specializes in insect-borne diseases at the Pan American Health Organization, or PAHO for short.

PAHO information shows 4.2 million cases of dengue and 2,050 deaths in the Americas last year. Much of that was in the so-called "Southern Cone⁵" of South America.

The December-February southern summer months bring hot and humid conditions for mosquitoes to breed. This helps to spread the possibly deadly disease.

Recently, people in Brasilia lined up outside medical centers set up to test for dengue. Dengue cases in the Brazilian capital have increased by as much as 646 percent in the first 20 days of January compared with last year.

Nelson Diego, 37, tested positive for dengue in the Brasilia neighborhood of Recanto das Emas where spraying has started. He said he was suffering from muscle pain and extreme tiredness from the disease, though some days were more difficult than others.

"Today is one of the better days because I can still open my eyes," he said. "I have a lot of pain in my joints⁶ and couldn't walk before."

And that's the Health & Lifestyle report.

Words in This Story

borne – adj. transported or transmitted by —used in combination such as airborne

symptom – n. a change in a living thing that indicates the presence of a disease or other physical disorder⁷, especially : one (as a headache) that can be felt or sensed only by the individual affected⁴

insecticide – n. a chemical used to kill insects

repellent – n. serving or tending to drive away or ward⁸ off : often used in combination — insect repellent

literal – adj. following the ordinary or usual meaning of the words

breed – v. to produce (plants or animals) by sexual reproduction

globally – adv. of, relating to, or involving the entire world

humid – adj. damp, moist

positive – adj. having a test result indicating the presence especially of a condition, substance, or organism

1 vaccination   

n.接种疫苗，种痘

参考例句：

• Vaccination is a preventive against smallpox.种痘是预防天花的方法。
• Doctors suggest getting a tetanus vaccination every ten years.医生建议每十年注射一次破伤风疫苗。

2 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

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。

4 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

5 cone   

n.圆锥体，圆锥形东西，球果

参考例句：

• Saw-dust piled up in a great cone.锯屑堆积如山。
• The police have sectioned off part of the road with traffic cone.警察用锥形路标把部分路面分隔开来。

6 joints   

接头( joint的名词复数 )； 关节； 公共场所（尤指价格低廉的饮食和娱乐场所） （非正式）； 一块烤肉 （英式英语）

参考例句：

• Expansion joints of various kinds are fitted on gas mains. 各种各样的伸缩接头被安装在煤气的总管道上了。
• Expansion joints of various kinds are fitted on steam pipes. 各种各样的伸缩接头被安装在蒸气管道上了。

7 disorder   

n.紊乱，混乱；骚动，骚乱；疾病，失调

参考例句：

• When returning back,he discovered the room to be in disorder.回家后，他发现屋子里乱七八糟。
• It contained a vast number of letters in great disorder.里面七零八落地装着许多信件。

8 ward   

n.守卫，监护，病房，行政区，由监护人或法院保护的人（尤指儿童）；vt.守护，躲开

参考例句：

• The hospital has a medical ward and a surgical ward.这家医院有内科病房和外科病房。
• During the evening picnic,I'll carry a torch to ward off the bugs.傍晚野餐时，我要点根火把，抵挡蚊虫。