2007年VOA标准英语-Hepatitis B Already Global Epidemic

By Carol Pearson
Washington
07 September 2007

Hepatitis B is caused by a virus that infects the liver, causing disease that can lead to a deadly cancer.  The World Health Organization calls hepatitis B a serious global public health problem.  Many people who have it, even in the United States, are completely unaware¹ they are infected.  VOA's Carol Pearson has more.

vaccinated2 against tuberculosis3 and hepatitis B <br /> <br /> <br />" hspace="2" src="/upimg/allimg/070914/0928040.jpg" width="225" vspace="2" border="0" />

In La Paz, Bolivia, six-day-old Alberth is vaccinated against tuberculosis and hepatitis B

The World Health Organization estimates that two billion people worldwide are infected with hepatitis B -- far more than the 40 million people living with HIV/AIDS.  Of those who are infected with hepatitis B, more than 300 million have a chronic⁴ or lifelong infection that puts them at risk of developing cancer or cirrhosis of the liver. High rates of hepatitis B can be found in much of the developing world. But western countries, including the United States, are also affected⁵.

Anthony Chiu is a software developer in San Francisco, California. "And I had a really bad stomachache again.  So this time it was so bad, I had to go to the emergency room. So they gave me some medicine and they did some scans afterward⁶ and that's how I found out."

Chiu had a cancerous tumor⁷ half the size of his liver, but it had not spread, and the tumor was successfully removed.  His cancer was a result of having chronic hepatitis B.

San Francisco and other cities in the U.S. with large numbers of Asian immigrants have high rates of hepatitis B and liver cancer.  Many people do not know they have chronic hepatitis B.

Dr. Samuel So is trying to change that.  He is the director of the Asian Liver Center at Stanford University. "We call hepatitis B a silent killer⁸ because usually those who are infected feel perfectly⁹ healthy," he says.

Hepatitis B can be easily detected through a blood test.  A simple vaccine¹⁰ can provide lifelong protection. Dr. So says, with hepatitis B, it is important to have an early diagnosis¹¹. If someone does test positive, treatment is available. "There are now treatments as simple as taking a pill a day that could reduce the risk of developing liver cancer and liver disease."

Hepatitis B can be spread by contact with contaminated needles and through sex.

Mothers can pass it to their babies during childbirth. That is how Chiu contracted the disease.  Seven years after his surgery, he is still cancer free. "So far, so good. No recurrence¹² at all.  I want to keep it that way."

In the United States, as in other countries, there is no screening program for immigrants and no funding for an adult vaccination¹³ program.  The Hepatitis Foundation International is an organization dedicated¹⁴ to the eradication¹⁵ of this disease.  The Foundation says hepatitis B is already a global epidemic¹⁶, despite the fact that a relatively¹⁷ cheap and effective vaccine is available.

1 unaware   

a.不知道的，未意识到的

参考例句：

• They were unaware that war was near. 他们不知道战争即将爆发。
• I was unaware of the man's presence. 我没有察觉到那人在场。

2 vaccinated   

[医]已接种的，种痘的，接种过疫菌的

参考例句：

• I was vaccinated against tetanus. 我接种了破伤风疫苗。
• Were you vaccinated against smallpox as a child? 你小时候打过天花疫苗吗？

3 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。

4 chronic   

adj.(疾病)长期未愈的，慢性的；极坏的

参考例句：

• Famine differs from chronic malnutrition.饥荒不同于慢性营养不良。
• Chronic poisoning may lead to death from inanition.慢性中毒也可能由虚弱导致死亡。

5 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。

6 afterward   

adv.后来；以后

参考例句：

• Let's go to the theatre first and eat afterward. 让我们先去看戏，然后吃饭。
• Afterward,the boy became a very famous artist.后来，这男孩成为一个很有名的艺术家。

7 tumor   

n.（肿）瘤，肿块(英)tumour

参考例句：

• He was died of a malignant tumor.他死于恶性肿瘤。
• The surgeons irradiated the tumor.外科医生用X射线照射那个肿瘤。

8 killer   

n.杀人者，杀人犯，杀手，屠杀者

参考例句：

• Heart attacks have become Britain's No.1 killer disease.心脏病已成为英国的头号致命疾病。
• The bulk of the evidence points to him as her killer.大量证据证明是他杀死她的。

9 perfectly   

adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
• Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。

10 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。

11 diagnosis   

n.诊断，诊断结果，调查分析，判断

参考例句：

• His symptoms gave no obvious pointer to a possible diagnosis.他的症状无法作出明确的诊断。
• The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做一次彻底的调查分析。

12 recurrence   

n.复发，反复，重现

参考例句：

• More care in the future will prevent recurrence of the mistake.将来的小心可防止错误的重现。
• He was aware of the possibility of a recurrence of his illness.他知道他的病有可能复发。

13 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。

14 dedicated   

adj.一心一意的；献身的；热诚的

参考例句：

• He dedicated his life to the cause of education.他献身于教育事业。
• His whole energies are dedicated to improve the design.他的全部精力都放在改进这项设计上了。

15 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。

16 epidemic   

n.流行病；盛行；adj.流行性的，流传极广的

参考例句：

• That kind of epidemic disease has long been stamped out.那种传染病早已绝迹。
• The authorities tried to localise the epidemic.当局试图把流行病限制在局部范围。

17 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。