AGRICULTURE REPORT - Bird Flu Update

AGRICULTURE REPORT - Bird Flu Update
By Mario Ritter

Broadcast: Tuesday, February 17, 2004

This is Steve Ember with the VOA Special English Agriculture Report.

Chicken farmers in the northeastern United States are dealing¹ with a form of bird flu different from the virus in Asia. Officials say it is the form H7. The H7 virus does not have a history of infecting people. But it does kill chickens, and it spreads easily.

The virus was first discovered on a farm in Delaware that provided² live chickens to a market in New York City. States officials ordered that farm and another one to destroy thousands of chickens. Officials also banned the sales of live chickens. After Delaware, cases were reported in New Jersey³ and Pennsylvania.

The United States is the biggest producer and exporter of chicken. The American share of the export market in two-thousand-one was valued at nearly two-thousand-million dollars. That year, eighteen-percent of all American chicken production was exported.

Because of the H7 outbreak, a number of nations have barred imports of American chicken. Some including Russia barred imports only from the affected⁴ areas. Russia is the biggest importer of American chicken products.

Others ordered bans on chicken from anywhere in the United States. These countries included China, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore and South Korea. The United States Agriculture Department says it does not believe the import bans will last long.

In Asia, officials have been working to control the spread of the avian influenza⁵ virus known as H5N1. That virus has killed millions of chickens in several countries. The number of human deaths reached twenty last week in Vietnam and Thailand.

The bird flu outbreak in Asia has caused economic damage. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization says it will aid some of the countries affected. The FAO said it would provide one-point-six million dollars to Cambodia, Laos, Pakistan and Vietnam.

The agency⁶ also joined the World Health Organization in urging measures to fight bird flu. One of these measures is the use of vaccine⁷ medicine to help chickens resist the virus.

Scientists are developing a human vaccine in case the virus takes a form that spreads easily from person to person. Some people have worried that pigs may also become infected and give the virus to humans. However, the Food and Agriculture Organization says it has found no evidence that the H5N1 virus can infect pigs.

This VOA Special English Agriculture Report was written by Mario Ritter. This is Steve Ember.

1 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

2 provided   

conj.假如，若是；adj.预备好的，由...供给的

参考例句：

• Provided it's fine we will have a pleasant holiday.如果天气良好，我们的假日将过得非常愉快。
• I will come provided that it's not raining tomorrow.如果明天不下雨，我就来。

3 jersey   

n.运动衫

参考例句：

• He wears a cotton jersey when he plays football.他穿运动衫踢足球。
• They were dressed alike in blue jersey and knickers.他们穿着一致，都是蓝色的运动衫和灯笼短裤。

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 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。

6 agency   

n.经办；代理；代理处

参考例句：

• This disease is spread through the agency of insects.这种疾病是通过昆虫媒介传播的。
• He spoke in the person of Xinhua News Agency.他代表新华社讲话。

7 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。