2006年VOA标准英语-Bird Flu Believed Responsible for Two Deat

By Amberin Zaman
Ankara
05 January 2006

Turkish officials say two teenagers are believed to have died from bird flu. If the cases are confirmed to be the deadly H5N1 strain, they would be the first human fatalities¹ from the virus outside southeast Asia and China.

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Recep Akdag  
  

Turkish Health Minister Recep Akdag announced late Wednesday that a 14-year-old boy died from bird flu last week. Hours later, Turkish officials announced that the boy's sister had also died in a hospital in the southeastern city of Van, where the siblings² were being treated.

Hospital officials say two more patients from the same family have been hospitalized and are undergoing treatment for bird flu.

A spokesman for the World Health Organization said Turkish authorities have only confirmed that the dead boy had the H5 form of the flu virus, and were awaiting results of further tests to establish whether it was the deadly H5N1 strain that has killed more than 70 people in Asia since 2003. 

People carry coffin³ of 15-year-old Fatma Kocyigit for burial in her hometown, Dogubayazit, Jan. 5. 2006   
  
If the deaths are confirmed as being the result of H5N1, it would mark the first time the deadly virus has spread outside China and Southeast Asia.

WHO officials stress that the cases should not be viewed as a start of a pandemic, because bird flu has so far not been passed between humans.

 
Hospital employees at entrance of University Hospital in Van, Turkey
  
Avni Sahin, the chief doctor at Van University Hospital, said nine patients were being treated for bird flu. Two of the patients were reported to be in critical condition. Emergency supplies of the anti-flu drug, Tamiflu, have been dispatched to Van.

Meanwhile, Turkish Agriculture Minister Mehdi Eker said that bird flu had been identified in the town of Dogubayazit, where the two teenagers who died reportedly were infected. The family of the dead brother and sister were reported to be poultry⁴ farmers.

Local officials say more than 1,000 chickens, geese, ducks, and turkeys have been slaughtered⁵ in the region.

Turkey is on the path of migratory⁶ birds from Siberia that are believed to be carrying bird flu. An outbreak was reported three months ago in western Turkey near a wild bird sanctuary⁷, but was rapidly contained. Critics say authorities did not display the same efficiency in the town of Dogubayazit, which is desperately⁸ poor and populated mainly by ethnic⁹ Kurds.

1 fatalities   

n.恶性事故( fatality的名词复数 )；死亡；致命性；命运

参考例句：

• Several people were injured, but there were no fatalities. 有几个人受伤，但没有人死亡。
• The accident resulted in fatalities. 那宗意外道致多人死亡。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 siblings   

n.兄弟，姐妹( sibling的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• A triplet sleeps amongst its two siblings. 一个三胞胎睡在其两个同胞之间。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• She has no way of tracking the donor or her half-siblings down. 她没办法找到那个捐精者或她的兄弟姐妹。 来自时文部分

3 coffin   

n.棺材，灵柩

参考例句：

• When one's coffin is covered,all discussion about him can be settled.盖棺论定。
• The coffin was placed in the grave.那口棺材已安放到坟墓里去了。

4 poultry   

n.家禽，禽肉

参考例句：

• There is not much poultry in the shops. 商店里禽肉不太多。
• What do you feed the poultry on? 你们用什么饲料喂养家禽?

5 slaughtered   

v.屠杀，杀戮，屠宰( slaughter的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The invading army slaughtered a lot of people. 侵略军杀了许多人。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Hundreds of innocent civilians were cruelly slaughtered. 数百名无辜平民遭残杀。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 migratory   

n.候鸟，迁移

参考例句：

• Many migratory birds visit this lake annually.许多候鸟每年到这个湖上作短期逗留。
• This does not negate the idea of migratory aptitude.这并没有否定迁移能力这一概念。

7 sanctuary   

n.圣所，圣堂，寺庙；禁猎区，保护区

参考例句：

• There was a sanctuary of political refugees behind the hospital.医院后面有一个政治难民的避难所。
• Most countries refuse to give sanctuary to people who hijack aeroplanes.大多数国家拒绝对劫机者提供庇护。

8 desperately   

adv.极度渴望地，绝望地，孤注一掷地

参考例句：

• He was desperately seeking a way to see her again.他正拼命想办法再见她一面。
• He longed desperately to be back at home.他非常渴望回家。

9 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。