VOA标准英语2008年-UNICEF Report says China, India Hold Key to Asi

A United Nations report says governments in the Asia and the Pacific need to step up spending on public health systems and lower income disparities to ensure child survival rates are sustained. As Ron Corben reports from Bangkok, the U.N. report says gains in China and India in reducing infant mortality hold the key to the Asia Pacific achieving key child survival goals by 2015.

The report, released by the United Nations Childrens Fund says Asia Pacific's buoyant economic growth of the past decade has been a key contributor to reducing infant and child mortality rates across the region.

Anupama Rao Singh, UNICEF regional director, says the report notes progress over the past two decades, although there are signs gains have slowed over recent years. In 1970 the annual number of under five deaths was 10.5 million. By 1990 this figure fell to 6.7 million. By 2006 this had declined to four million deaths.

"There has been good progress in the decline of infant and child mortality rates if you compare it from the 1970s to date," said Rao Singh. "Many countries are on track to achieving the millennium¹ development goals of reducing infant and child mortality by two-thirds by 2015."

The report says China and India hold the key to the region achieving the millennium development goals in child survival. China, India and Pakistan are three of six countries which globally account for half of all deaths of children under five.

In China, two-thirds of the country's under five deaths were neonatal with almost 80 percent occurring in the first week of life.

But Rao Singh says China appears on target on achieving its infant and child mortality targets.

"China has made tremendous progress," she said. "As far as China is really addressing mortality and child deaths in the first four weeks of life; it's very, very closely linked. Clearly, China is in terms of national averages and norms clearly on a path of achieving the millennium development goal of two thirds reduction."

In India the report calls for major improvements in health, nutrition, water and sanitation², and education to achieve its millennium goals. India has 127 million children under five years. In 2006 it reported over two million under five years dying.

It also pointed³ to "extreme problems" faced by Afghanistan, which has the third highest rate of under five mortality in the world. In contrast, Sri Lanka has made major gains in reducing child mortality over recent years despite ongoing⁴ conflict.

A high burden of neonatal deaths occurs due to insufficient⁵ maternal⁶ health care services, and maternal under nutrition. Pneumonia⁷ and diarroeheal diseases as well as measles⁸ also claim many young lives.

Widening income disparities in South East Asia also put more children at risk despite gains against a backdrop of declines in public health spending that add to burdens on the poor. Rao Singh says it is vital Asia achieves its goals on improving child survival rates.

"If Asia does not achieve the Millennium Development Goals of reducing mortality by two thirds the world will not achieve them," she said. "Our estimates 9.7 million children under five died last year - more than four million were in Asia alone. So the achievement of these goals in Asia is going to be of global significance."

Urbanization and a shortage of skilled health workers are also having a "marked effect" on inequity affecting the lowest income groups. Governments need to increase and sustain budget spending over the next decade to ensure countries reach the goals on infant and child mortality.

The report says if the Asia Pacific fails to extend essential services to the poor and marginalized groups and narrow income disparities it may lead to one million child deaths in Asia Pacific in 2015 that would have otherwise been averted⁹ had the development goals been reached.

1 millennium   

n.一千年，千禧年；太平盛世

参考例句：

• The whole world was counting down to the new millennium.全世界都在倒计时迎接新千年的到来。
• We waited as the clock ticked away the last few seconds of the old millennium.我们静候着时钟滴答走过千年的最后几秒钟。

2 sanitation   

n.公共卫生，环境卫生，卫生设备

参考例句：

• The location is exceptionally poor,viewed from the sanitation point.从卫生角度来看，这个地段非常糟糕。
• Many illnesses are the result,f inadequate sanitation.许多疾病都来源于不健全的卫生设施。

3 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

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 insufficient   

adj.(for，of)不足的，不够的

参考例句：

• There was insufficient evidence to convict him.没有足够证据给他定罪。
• In their day scientific knowledge was insufficient to settle the matter.在他们的时代，科学知识还不能足以解决这些问题。

6 maternal   

adj.母亲的，母亲般的，母系的，母方的

参考例句：

• He is my maternal uncle.他是我舅舅。
• The sight of the hopeless little boy aroused her maternal instincts.那个绝望的小男孩的模样唤起了她的母性。

7 pneumonia   

n.肺炎

参考例句：

• Cage was struck with pneumonia in her youth.凯奇年轻时得过肺炎。
• Pneumonia carried him off last week.肺炎上星期夺去了他的生命。

8 measles   

n.麻疹，风疹，包虫病，痧子

参考例句：

• The doctor is quite definite about Tom having measles.医生十分肯定汤姆得了麻疹。
• The doctor told her to watch out for symptoms of measles.医生叫她注意麻疹出现的症状。

9 averted   

防止，避免( avert的过去式和过去分词 )； 转移

参考例句：

• A disaster was narrowly averted. 及时防止了一场灾难。
• Thanks to her skilful handling of the affair, the problem was averted. 多亏她对事情处理得巧妙，才避免了麻烦。