DEVELOPMENT REPORT - WHO Aims for Safety in the Use of Tradi

DEVELOPMENT REPORT - WHO Aims for Safety in the Use of Traditional Medicines
By Jill Moss¹

Broadcast: Monday, June 28, 2004

This is Robert Cohen with the VOA Special English Development Report.

The World Health Organization says people need more information about how to safely use traditional medicines. The W.H.O. now has guidelines² to suggest ways for public health officials to develop that information. The health agency³ is part of the United Nations.

The W.H.O. says up to eighty percent of people in developing countries depend on traditional medicines. More and more people in wealthy countries use them too. But the W.H.O. notes that just because products are natural does not always mean they are safe. It says reports of bad reactions have increased sharply⁴ in the last few years.

In China, for example, about ten-thousand harmful drug reactions were reported in two-thousand-two. There were just four-thousand cases reported between nineteen-ninety and nineteen-ninety-nine.

Traditional medicines are made from plants, animal products and minerals. The health agency says they remain largely⁵ outside government control.

In most countries, traditional medicines can be purchased without a doctor's order. Sometimes they are prepared by friends or by the patients themselves. The W.H.O. says this situation raises concerns about the quality of treatments and the lack of professional supervision⁶.

Lee Jong-wook is Director-General of the organization. Doctor Lee says the W.H.O. supports the use of traditional medicines when they have been shown to help and to have few risks. But he says governments should have the tools to make sure people get the best information.

Under the new guidelines, traditional healers would have to be skilled⁷. And they would have to be listed with the government. Also, people would have to be informed about how and where to report problems. Doctor Lee says governments can also use the guidelines to create media campaigns about the issue.

The suggestions are based on the experiences of one-hundred-two countries. The W.H.O says it hopes its new guidelines will help educate people about the health care choices they make.

Internet users⁸ can find the document at www.who.int. The full name is "Guidelines on Developing Consumer Information on Proper Use of Traditional, Complementary and Alternative Medicine." The site again is www.who.int.

This VOA Special English Development Report was written by Jill Moss. This is Robert Cohen.

1 moss   

n.苔，藓，地衣

参考例句：

• Moss grows on a rock.苔藓生在石头上。
• He was found asleep on a pillow of leaves and moss.有人看见他枕着树叶和苔藓睡着了。

2 guidelines   

n.指导方针，准则

参考例句：

• The government has drawn up guidelines on the treatment of the mentally ill. 政府制订了对待精神病人的指导方针。
• Planners seem a little uncomfortable with the current government guidelines. 规划师似乎不太接受现行的政府指道方针。

3 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。

4 sharply   

adj.锐利地，急速；adv.严厉地，鲜明地

参考例句：

• The plane dived sharply and rose again.飞机猛然俯冲而后又拉了起来。
• Demand for personal computers has risen sharply.对个人电脑的需求急剧增长。

5 largely   

adv.大部分，主要地

参考例句：

• It is largely dependent on the weather.这多半取决于天气情况。
• Their conclusions were largely founded on guesswork.他们的结论大部份基于猜测。

6 supervision   

n.监督，管理

参考例句：

• The work was done under my supervision.这项工作是在我的监督之下完成的。
• The old man's will was executed under the personal supervision of the lawyer.老人的遗嘱是在律师的亲自监督下执行的。

7 skilled   

adj.(in)熟练的，有技能的；需要技能的

参考例句：

• Unskilled workers usually earn less money than skilled workers.无技能的工人通常比有技能的工人挣钱少。
• She was skilled enough in French to translate a novel.她法语娴熟，足以翻译小说。

8 users   

用户，使用者( user的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The new software will prove a boon to Internet users. 这种新软件将会对互联网用户大有益处。
• Ramps should be provided for wheelchair users. 应该给轮椅使用者提供坡道。