2006年VOA标准英语-Ghana Making Progress in Treating Tuberculosis

By Efam Dovi
Accra
06 July 2006
 
In Ghana an estimated 12,000 of the country's 20 million people are infected with tuberculosis¹ annually², and for many of them access to treatment has not always been easy. So the Global Fund is sponsoring a new program to help those who cannot afford treatment. The plan seems to be working.

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Mycobacterium Tuberculosis  
  
The program, based on the World Health Organization's strategy of Direct Observation Therapy, Short Course, or DOTS, is being tried out in two regions of Ghana. Its aim is to provide the widest possible access to prevention, care, support and treatment for all those affected³ by tuberculosis.

With money from the Global Fund, more municipal and private sector⁴ healthcare workers have been trained and tuberculosis treatment centers expanded.

The program also introduces home visits to tuberculosis patients.

Kingsley Agbenu is a healthcare assistant with Health Concern Ghana, one of the local NGOs involved in the project. 
 

An x-ray of a patient affected by tuberculosis  
  
Though tuberculosis treatment is free in Ghana the general poverty level among the population is a major challenge, according to Mary Aboagye, the executive direct of Health Concern Ghana.

"It's a daily kind of program for eight months, so it's not easy affording transportation and then it's not easy affording nutritious⁵ meals," she said. "So these are some of the challenges that we face as we give the free treatment. How do we help these people to come to the health facility?"

To help some of the neediest patients, the program includes the so called "enablers' package."

Each package is tailored to the needs of the patient. Some include money to help defray the cost of travel to the center, others include a meal at the clinic.

Dr. Frank Bonsu, program manager of the National Tuberculosis Control Program, says it was necessary to motivate and assist both the patient and the care provider to reduce dropout⁶ rates.

"There was the risk of developing the multi-drug resistance tuberculosis which everybody is afraid of," he said. "So we needed to come out with ways of convincing patients to continue treatment and health providers themselves to want to work as partners with the patients to continue treatment so that we reduce the number of patients or clients who fall out during the course of treatment."

After HIV/AIDS and malaria⁷, tuberculosis is third on the Ghanian government's list of health care priorities.

The annual tuberculosis treatment rate in Ghana has gone from 16 percent a decade ago to 72 percent today. Dr. Bonsu says the two areas where the DOTS program is being implemented⁸ are scoring between 88 and 94 percent treatment rate.

"In tuberculosis we say cure is the best for prevention, so as our cure rates go high, then it means we are protecting the society," he said. "The source of the infection is the people who have the disease, so if you cure as many of these sources of infection, then you are preventing the disease also from carrying on, so at the moment our treatment success rate is high and we are proud of it."

Ghana's health officials say expanding the program throughout the country will cost more than $14 million. Two-thirds will come from the Global Fund and rest from the government treasury⁹.

1 tuberculosis   

n.结核病，肺结核

参考例句：

• People used to go to special health spring to recover from tuberculosis.人们常去温泉疗养胜地治疗肺结核。
• Tuberculosis is a curable disease.肺结核是一种可治愈的病。

2 annually   

adv.一年一次，每年

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。
• They celebrate their wedding anniversary annually.他们每年庆祝一番结婚纪念日。

3 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。

4 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。

5 nutritious   

adj.有营养的，营养价值高的

参考例句：

• Fresh vegetables are very nutritious.新鲜蔬菜富于营养。
• Hummingbirds have discovered that nectar and pollen are very nutritious.蜂鸟发现花蜜和花粉是很有营养的。

6 dropout   

n.退学的学生；退学；退出者

参考例句：

• There is a high dropout rate from some college courses.有些大学课程的退出率很高。
• In the long haul,she'll regret having been a school dropout.她终归会后悔不该中途辍学。

7 malaria   

n.疟疾

参考例句：

• He had frequent attacks of malaria.他常患疟疾。
• Malaria is a kind of serious malady.疟疾是一种严重的疾病。

8 implemented   

v.实现( implement的过去式和过去分词 )；执行；贯彻；使生效

参考例句：

• This agreement, if not implemented, is a mere scrap of paper. 这个协定如不执行只不过是一纸空文。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The economy is in danger of collapse unless far-reaching reforms are implemented. 如果不实施影响深远的改革，经济就面临崩溃的危险。 来自辞典例句

9 treasury   

n.宝库；国库，金库；文库

参考例句：

• The Treasury was opposed in principle to the proposals.财政部原则上反对这些提案。
• This book is a treasury of useful information.这本书是有价值的信息宝库。