2007年VOA标准英语-Health Officials Monitoring Rare Illness in Wes

By Joseph Popiolkowski
Hong Kong
11 July 2007

An obscure and non-fatal disease has been spreading among some Western Pacific islands.  Joseph Popiolkowski reports from Hong Kong warmer weather and heavy rains have led to an increase in mosquito-borne illnesses in the region.

Mosquitos

Health officials are tracking incidents of a rare, but mild, disease known as Zika on Yap Island, which is part of Micronesia.

Zika's symptoms - skin rash, conjunctivitis, and joint¹ pain - are similar to the more serious and common dengue fever, which has infected tens of thousands of people in Southeast Asia this year.

Dr. Takeshi Kasai, an advisor² on communicable diseases for the World Health Organization, says the similarity between the two diseases initially³ caused confusion among health officials.

"Originally this is reported as dengue-like illness," Dr. Kasai said.  "But later we identified this is not dengue, but the virus called Zika virus causing this disease."

Outbreaks of dengue fever are ongoing⁴ in Cambodia, Singapore, and the Philippines.  Kasai says dengue is mostly reported between July and September, but this year has occurred earlier in the year and in greater densities⁵.

Experts say this could be due to unusually wet and warm weather, which has resulted in a rise in diseases spread by mosquitoes such as Zika and dengue.

There have been no hospitalizations or deaths from Zika, which was first discovered in an Ugandan jungle in 1947.

Kasai said anecdotal reports, not yet confirmed, suggest isolated⁶ cases of Zika have occurred in Malaysia and Indonesia.  Scientists are monitoring the emergence⁷ of the Zika infection and tracing its possible spread from Pacific islands into Southeast Asia. 

1 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

2 advisor   

n.顾问，指导老师，劝告者

参考例句：

• They employed me as an advisor.他们聘请我当顾问。
• The professor is engaged as a technical advisor.这位教授被聘请为技术顾问。

3 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。

4 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

5 densities   

密集( density的名词复数 )； 稠密； 密度（固体、液体或气体单位体积的质量）； 密度（磁盘存贮数据的可用空间）

参考例句：

• The range of densities of interest is about 3.5. 有用的密度范围为3．5左右。
• Densities presumably can be probed by radar. 利用雷达也许还能探测出气体的密度。

6 isolated   

adj.与世隔绝的

参考例句：

• His bad behaviour was just an isolated incident. 他的不良行为只是个别事件。
• Patients with the disease should be isolated. 这种病的患者应予以隔离。

7 emergence   

n.浮现，显现，出现，（植物）突出体

参考例句：

• The last decade saw the emergence of a dynamic economy.最近10年见证了经济增长的姿态。
• Language emerges and develops with the emergence and development of society.语言是随着社会的产生而产生，随着社会的发展而发展的。