VOA标准英语2009年-Tens of Millions of TB Patients Cured

The World Health Organization reports a treatment program called DOTS has cured 36 million people with tuberculosis¹ and saved up to eight-million lives during the past 15 years

Lisa Schlein | Geneva 08 December 2009

New data show the World Health Organization's simple and cost-effective approach in fighting tuberculosis works. 

DOTS, the Stop TB Strategy was launched in 1994.  Since then, the World Health Organization says the number of people cured of the disease has increased regularly.  And, this, of course, has resulted in many lives being saved.

In 2008, the report finds 2.3 million people were cured of tuberculosis.  This translates into an 87 percent cure rate, which, for the first time, exceeds the 85 percent global target set in 1991. 

Coordinator² of the WHO Stop TB Department, Paul Nunn, says progress also has been made in addressing the lethal³ combination of TB and HIV.  Last year, he says nearly 1.5-million TB patients were tested for HIV, an increase of 200,000.

As a consequence of the screening, he says many TB patients with HIV have been treated for that fatal disease and many lives have been prolonged and saved.

"So, that is the good news, that 15 years of investments are bringing visible results as a result of cooperation between national programs, particularly the World Health Organization, UNAIDS, the Global Fund and other partners," Nunn said. "The bad news is that we still have 1.8-million deaths per year from tuberculosis.  Half a million of those associated with HIV."  

Despite the progress being made, Dr. Nunn cautions against complacency.  He says the tuberculosis epidemic⁴ is far from over and is being aggravated⁵ by multi-drug resistant⁶ TB and its even more dangerous form, extensively drug-resistant TB.

He says the relatively⁷ large number of patients who are not being treated properly for tuberculosis is fueling the epidemic.

"The problem with resistance means that we might be facing a situation where our currently, mostly susceptible⁸ epidemic is replaced in a decade or two by mostly multi-drug resistant disease," Nunn said. "And since it is so much more expensive and so much more difficult to cure, that would be a catastrophe⁹."  

Another problem is money.  The World Health Organization says the Stop TB effort needs $2 billion to carry out its TB care and control program in 2010.  The World Health Organization warns lack of money will deny the most vulnerable people the treatment they need to save their lives.

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 coordinator   

n.协调人

参考例句：

• The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, headed by the Emergency Relief Coordinator, coordinates all UN emergency relief. 联合国人道主义事务协调厅在紧急救济协调员领导下，负责协调联合国的所有紧急救济工作。
• How am I supposed to find the client-relations coordinator? 我怎么才能找到客户关系协调员的办公室？

3 lethal   

adj.致死的；毁灭性的

参考例句：

• A hammer can be a lethal weapon.铁锤可以是致命的武器。
• She took a lethal amount of poison and died.她服了致命剂量的毒药死了。

4 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。

5 aggravated   

使恶化( aggravate的过去式和过去分词 )； 使更严重； 激怒； 使恼火

参考例句：

• If he aggravated me any more I shall hit him. 假如他再激怒我，我就要揍他。
• Far from relieving my cough, the medicine aggravated it. 这药非但不镇咳，反而使我咳嗽得更厉害。

6 resistant   

adj.(to)抵抗的，有抵抗力的

参考例句：

• Many pests are resistant to the insecticide.许多害虫对这种杀虫剂有抵抗力。
• They imposed their government by force on the resistant population.他们以武力把自己的统治强加在持反抗态度的人民头上。

7 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。

8 susceptible   

adj.过敏的，敏感的；易动感情的，易受感动的

参考例句：

• Children are more susceptible than adults.孩子比成人易受感动。
• We are all susceptible to advertising.我们都易受广告的影响。

9 catastrophe   

n.大灾难，大祸

参考例句：

• I owe it to you that I survived the catastrophe.亏得你我才大难不死。
• This is a catastrophe beyond human control.这是一场人类无法控制的灾难。