2006年VOA标准英语-Nigerian Officials Fear Country Unable to

By Catherine Maddux
Washington
16 March 2006
 
Four countries in Africa have reported cases of the deadly strain of avian flu -- Egypt, Niger, Nigeria and, most recently, Cameroon, where it was confirmed in a duck. So far, no people are known have died in Africa from contact with sick birds as has been the case elsewhere, mostly in Asia. But the outbreaks are testing the ability of African nations to contain and prevent the spread of the virus, which experts fear will mutate into one that is transmissible among humans. VOA's Catherine Maddux looks at the case of Nigeria.

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Health worker checking for bird flu in Nigeria  
  

In February, the Nigerian government reported what many officials and experts had already predicted would happen: an outbreak of bird flu.

It was discovered at a poultry¹ farm in northern Kaduna state, making Nigeria the first African nation to be hit with the deadly H5N1 strain of avian flu virus.

The announcement set off a wave of anxiety as authorities moved in to contain the virus and farmers were forced to cull² their flocks.

Since February, the World Health Organization reports that H5N1 has spread to 12 of Nigeria's 36 states.

The head of the country's poultry association estimates that farmers have, so far, lost more than six million dollars due to the outbreak.

Dr. David Nabarro, U.N. System Influenza³ Coordinator⁴, says to fight bird flu effectively countries have to take certain basic steps. "Any country that is suddenly coping with the introduction of avian influenza into the domestic and poultry population has a tough time initially⁵. Because, first of all, people have to be ready for the reality of their farms becoming restricted areas and their poultry being culled⁶. And secondly⁷, the government has to institute a program of compensation payments for people who lose their birds. And that does take some time to set up," he said.

The Nigerian government has set up a presidential committee for avian flu and promised compensation to farmers affected⁸ by the outbreaks.

There is widespread criticism that the amount of compensation, around $2 per bird, is far from enough. And the fact that farmers are only being paid for birds that have been culled, and not for those that have already died.

But one of the biggest concerns about Nigeria's ability to handle the deadly strain of bird flu is its lack of infrastructure⁹. Dr. Garba Sharabutu heads the Nigerian Veterinarian Medical Association.

"Ideally, each state has to have a veterinary hospital, which we do not have now, (I mean) well equipped ones. The facilities to run tests is not there. We don't have good equipment. And the local governments where these (sick) poultry actually are do not have veterinary personnel," he said.

Sharabutu adds that there is only one veterinary laboratory in Nigeria. Though it has been given some help from the government, he says it is not anywhere near able to deal with the amount of livestock¹⁰ in Nigeria.

Dr. Abdul Salami Nasidi, the coordinator of avian flu control in Nigeria and a director at the health ministry¹¹, admits that as a poor nation, Nigeria faces extra burdens in dealing¹² with bird flu and has appealed for international help. For example, he says the World Bank has signed a deal to give Nigeria $50 million to, among other things, bolster¹³ the agricultural and health ministries¹⁴ as well as financing surveillance and upgrading laboratories.

And Dr. Nasidi strongly denies charges that the government has not come up with a comprehensive approach to deal with avian flu. He says the government is concentrating on preventing the flu from spreading to humans. "Our main strategy is to prevent the mutation¹⁵ and human to human transmission by engaging in active surveillance and preparing health facilities for proper case management. And at the same time, preparing some groups for vaccination¹⁶ against seasonal¹⁷ influenza to avoid cross-mutation.," he said.

For Veterinary Association Director Garba Sharabutu, the government's focus on the possibility of human to human transmission is wrong and will ultimately be ineffective. "The moment this disease is not approached from an economic point of view, it is going to fail. And we are saying this is a veterinary problem, it is an economic problem. So unless they change their focus, it is likely that we are just going to be running in a circle. And our warning is that we may succeed in slowing down the spread, but we may not completely contain that disease," he said.

Mr. Nabarro of the United Nations says there are effective and simple ways to contain the H5N1 virus. "When you've got an outbreak of avian influenza among poultry, obviously, the first task is to stamp that out by prompt action at the source. At the same time, because of the very rare but real possibility that the virus H5N1 can jump into a human and cause illness in the human, we've also got to take precautions that mean people will keep well away from birds. And certainly if they're sick, they've got to keep right away from them. And secondly, that they practice good hygiene¹⁸ and cook food properly," he said.

But it may be difficult to control how Nigerian poultry farmers and small-scale backyard chicken merchants react to outbreaks of bird flu. Many are scared that if they kill sick birds, they will be destroying their very livelihood¹⁹. And that has led some to sell off sick birds quickly to avoid the loss of income and what they see as poor compensation from the government.

1 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?

2 cull   

v.拣选；剔除；n.拣出的东西；剔除

参考例句：

• It is usually good practice to cull the poorest prior to field planting.通常在实践上的好方法是在出圃栽植前挑出最弱的苗木。
• Laura was passing around photographs she'd culled from the albums at home.劳拉正在分发她从家里相册中挑选出的相片。

3 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。

4 coordinator   

n.协调人

参考例句：

• The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, headed by the Emergency Relief Coordinator, coordinates all UN emergency relief. 联合国人道主义事务协调厅在紧急救济协调员领导下，负责协调联合国的所有紧急救济工作。
• How am I supposed to find the client-relations coordinator? 我怎么才能找到客户关系协调员的办公室？

5 initially   

adv.最初，开始

参考例句：

• The ban was initially opposed by the US.这一禁令首先遭到美国的反对。
• Feathers initially developed from insect scales.羽毛最初由昆虫的翅瓣演化而来。

6 culled   

v.挑选，剔除( cull的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The herd must be culled. 必须有选择地杀掉部分牧畜。 来自辞典例句
• The facts were culled from various sources. 这些事实是从各方收集到的。 来自辞典例句

7 secondly   

adv.第二，其次

参考例句：

• Secondly,use your own head and present your point of view.第二，动脑筋提出自己的见解。
• Secondly it is necessary to define the applied load.其次，需要确定所作用的载荷。

8 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。

9 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

10 livestock   

n.家畜，牲畜

参考例句：

• Both men and livestock are flourishing.人畜两旺。
• The heavy rains and flooding killed scores of livestock.暴雨和大水淹死了许多牲口。

11 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。

12 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。

13 bolster   

n.枕垫；v.支持，鼓励

参考例句：

• The high interest rates helped to bolster up the economy.高利率使经济更稳健。
• He tried to bolster up their morale.他尽力鼓舞他们的士气。

14 ministries   

（政府的）部( ministry的名词复数 )； 神职； 牧师职位； 神职任期

参考例句：

• Local authorities must refer everything to the central ministries. 地方管理机构应请示中央主管部门。
• The number of Ministries has been pared down by a third. 部委的数量已经减少了1/3。

15 mutation   

n.变化，变异，转变

参考例句：

• People who have this mutation need less sleep than others.有这种突变的人需要的睡眠比其他人少。
• So far the discussion has centered entirely around mutation in the strict sense.到目前为止，严格来讲，讨论完全集中于围绕突变问题上。

16 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。

17 seasonal   

adj.季节的，季节性的

参考例句：

• The town relies on the seasonal tourist industry for jobs.这个城镇依靠季节性旅游业提供就业机会。
• The hors d'oeuvre is seasonal vegetables.餐前小吃是应时蔬菜。

18 hygiene   

n.健康法，卫生学 （a.hygienic）

参考例句：

• Their course of study includes elementary hygiene and medical theory.他们的课程包括基础卫生学和医疗知识。
• He's going to give us a lecture on public hygiene.他要给我们作关于公共卫生方面的报告。

19 livelihood   

n.生计，谋生之道

参考例句：

• Appropriate arrangements will be made for their work and livelihood.他们的工作和生活会得到妥善安排。
• My father gained a bare livelihood of family by his own hands.父亲靠自己的双手勉强维持家计。