2007年VOA标准英语-Promising Vaccines Being Developed for Bird Flu

By Martin Secrest
Washington, D.C.
06 February 2007
 
watch Vaccine¹ report

Bird flu continues to worry Asia.   The H5N1 virus killed 4,000 chickens in southern Japan in recent weeks.  The virus has also been reported recently in Indonesia, Thailand, China and even Egypt and England.  But there may be medical hope on the horizon, as both Australia and Taiwan are reporting progress on a bird flu vaccine.  One vaccine has been tested on humans, the other on animals.   Voice of America's Rebecca Ward² has the story:

CSL Limited is the biggest pharmaceutical³ company in Australia, and in late January the company applied⁴ for permission to manufacture a bird flu vaccine.  CSL says it is confident the vaccine will substantially boost the ability of the human immune system to fight the disease.   Manufacturing of the medication could begin within weeks.

CSL's chief science officer, Andrew Cuthbertson, says that the company will distribute the drug overseas, if allowed. "We would be thrilled to be able to supply other countries in the region and indeed in the world, but I think it would be a matter of Australian government policy as to how we rolled out distribution of the vaccine."

Meanwhile, Taiwan's National Health Institute announces that it has developed a vaccine it reports to offer a 70 percent improvement in survival rates in infected rats tested in the laboratory.  The institute spent 13 months researching and producing the new vaccine.  The head of the Taiwan research team is Yiren Su:

"If the lab rats used in the research are not given the vaccination⁵, almost 100 percent of them will die, but if they take this vaccination there is a 70 percent chance of survival," he said.

Taiwan's research scientists also say that Taiwan possesses key technologies needed for the fast production of the vaccine, which the Health Institute says it is planning to mass-produce by the end of 2007.

1 vaccine   

n.牛痘苗，疫苗；adj.牛痘的，疫苗的

参考例句：

• The polio vaccine has saved millions of lives.脊髓灰质炎疫苗挽救了数以百万计的生命。
• She takes a vaccine against influenza every fall.她每年秋季接种流感疫苗。

2 ward   

n.守卫，监护，病房，行政区，由监护人或法院保护的人（尤指儿童）；vt.守护，躲开

参考例句：

• The hospital has a medical ward and a surgical ward.这家医院有内科病房和外科病房。
• During the evening picnic,I'll carry a torch to ward off the bugs.傍晚野餐时，我要点根火把，抵挡蚊虫。

3 pharmaceutical   

adj.药学的，药物的；药用的，药剂师的

参考例句：

• She has donated money to establish a pharmaceutical laboratory.她捐款成立了一个药剂实验室。
• We are engaged in a legal tussle with a large pharmaceutical company.我们正同一家大制药公司闹法律纠纷。

4 applied   

adj.应用的；v.应用，适用

参考例句：

• She plans to take a course in applied linguistics.她打算学习应用语言学课程。
• This cream is best applied to the face at night.这种乳霜最好晚上擦脸用。

5 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。