2006年VOA标准英语-Avian Flu Figures High on World Health Ass

By Lisa Schlein
Geneva
21 May 2006

World Health Assembly  
  
Efforts to strengthen preparedness and response to a possible avian flu pandemic are expected to figure high on the agenda of the 59th World Health Assembly in Geneva. About 100 ministers of health and other expert health officials will be attending the week-long conference, which begins Monday.

------------------------------------

When the World Health Organization's 192 members meet, they will be asked to speed up the implementation² of the new International Health Regulations. The regulations tell states how to deal with diseases that may become a public health emergency. They are supposed to come into force in the summer of 2007. 

 
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and U.S. Geological Survey work with federal, state and local partners to monitor and test migratory³ birds for the Asian strain of H5N1 or other highly pathogenic avian influenza⁴
  
But, an adviser⁵ to WHO's director-general, Dennis Aitken, says member states will be asked to voluntarily implement¹ the regulations regarding an avian flu pandemic, given the seriousness of a potential outbreak. Health experts fear the disease may mutate into a form that could spread easily among humans.

"We have a more formal procedure for surveillance that member states will voluntarily agree will inform us under those regulations through formal focal points," he said. "We will also nominate our own formal focal points. There will be the ability to set up a committee of experts on this subject-we are already almost there in setting this up-who will advise the director-general on the necessary actions to take in that area."

The World Health Assembly will also take up a number of perennial⁶ health issues. They include universal care for HIV/AIDS patients, polio eradication⁷, sickle-cell anemia⁸, the prevention and control of sexually transmitted infections and the prevention of avoidable blindness.

In addition, delegates are expected to debate the destruction of the smallpox⁹ virus. Since the disease was eradicated¹⁰ in 1979, a small stock of the virus has been held in laboratories in the United States and Russia. Some countries want the virus to be destroyed. Others say it should be held for research purposes.

Before the assembly actually begins tackling these issues, Aitken says it will debate the merits of granting observer status to Taiwan . This is the 10th time this controversial matter will come up.

China regards Taiwan as a renegade province and says only sovereign states are entitled to take part in the assembly. Aitken says Taiwan's bid probably will fail. Nevertheless, he says Taiwan's exclusion¹¹ will not create problems in the global fight against infectious diseases such as bird flu.

"The agreement that we have with China on the Taiwanese issue allows us to send experts to Taiwan in emergency situations immediately," he said. "And, so - as we did during SARS - to be honest, if there was any indications of problems in Taiwan that we felt was a public health emergency that could not be dealt with, we would send experts to Taiwan to deal with the issue under the existing agreement that we have with China."

This year the World Health Assembly's keynote speaker is Britain's Prince Charles. The Prince of Wales is president of the Prince's Foundation for integrated Health and patron of a number of health charities.

1 implement   

n.(pl.)工具，器具；vt.实行，实施，执行

参考例句：

• Don't undertake a project unless you can implement it.不要承担一项计划，除非你能完成这项计划。
• The best implement for digging a garden is a spade.在花园里挖土的最好工具是铁锹。

2 implementation   

n.实施，贯彻

参考例句：

• Implementation of the program is now well underway.这一项目的实施现在行情看好。

3 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。

4 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。

5 adviser   

n.劝告者，顾问

参考例句：

• They employed me as an adviser.他们聘请我当顾问。
• Our department has engaged a foreign teacher as phonetic adviser.我们系已经聘请了一位外籍老师作为语音顾问。

6 perennial   

adj.终年的；长久的

参考例句：

• I wonder at her perennial youthfulness.我对她青春常驻感到惊讶。
• There's a perennial shortage of teachers with science qualifications.有理科教学资格的老师一直都很短缺。

7 eradication   

n.根除

参考例句：

• The eradication of an established infestation is not easy. 根除昆虫蔓延是不容易的。
• This is often required for intelligent control and eradication. 这经常需要灵巧的控制与消除。

8 anemia   

n.贫血，贫血症

参考例句：

• The doctors analyzed the blood sample for anemia. 医生们分析了贫血的血样。
• I was put on iron tablets for my anemia.我曾因贫血吃补铁药片。

9 smallpox   

n.天花

参考例句：

• In 1742 he suffered a fatal attack of smallpox.1742年，他染上了致命的天花。
• Were you vaccinated against smallpox as a child?你小时候打过天花疫苗吗？

10 eradicated   

画着根的

参考例句：

• Polio has been virtually eradicated in Brazil. 在巴西脊髓灰质炎实际上已经根除。
• The disease has been eradicated from the world. 这种疾病已在全世界得到根除。

11 exclusion   

n.拒绝，排除，排斥，远足，远途旅行

参考例句：

• Don't revise a few topics to the exclusion of all others.不要修改少数论题以致排除所有其他的。
• He plays golf to the exclusion of all other sports.他专打高尔夫球，其他运动一概不参加。