VOA标准英语 US Doctors, Airlines Monitoring for Swine Flu

U.S. health officials are increasing surveillance measures at doctors' offices and international borders to guard against the spread of swine flu. Washington also has begun dispersing¹ medicine from a federal stockpile.
　
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton responds to a reporter's question about US response to the swine flu crisis in Mexico, at the State Department in Washington, 27 Apr 2009

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says there have been only mild cases of swine flu in the United States, but experts remain on guard.

Acting² agency director, Richard Besser, says the epidemic³ in Mexico prompted U.S. doctors to begin monitoring actively⁴ for possible infections.

"We are asking doctors when they see someone who has flu-like illness who has traveled to an affected⁵ region, to do a culture, take a swab in the nose and send it to the lab so we can see: is it influenza⁶, is it this type?" he said.

Speaking Sunday at the White House, Besser said the extra detection efforts have enabled officials to find more infections than under normal circumstances. He also says he expects the number of infections will rise and the illness will spread to other U.S. regions, as doctors continue to monitor the problem.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says it does not recommend people travel to Mexico, where the outbreak of swine flu is centered and more than 100 deaths have been reported. But officials have not ordered a travel ban to the country.

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano says, instead, airlines have the option of screening passengers on flights from Mexico.

"We are letting air carriers and our employees at the gates on those flights make sure that they are asking people if they are sick; and if they are sick, that they should not board the plane," she said.

Denise Korniewicz, an infectious disease expert at the University of Miami, says officials should take bolder steps to screen passengers at international borders, like Japan and other Asian nations are doing.

"We have a very transient population here. And Japan has taken a lot of precautions. What Japan is doing is they are making everyone take a temperature when they get off the airplane," she said. "As far as I am concerned, I think that is a good idea."

U.S. officials say they are holding off on more aggressive actions because the outbreak has been limited in the United States and they do not want to cause a health scare.

Korniewicz says around the country health centers are putting in place emergency response measures aimed at limiting disease outbreaks.

"I think we are going to be OK. We seem to have put things in motion quicker this time," said Korniewicz. "In every state we have had cases, the CDC has already dispersed⁷ Tamiflu, which decreases the symptoms of the flu."

U.S. officials say they have distributed about 12 million doses of Tamiflu, from a federal stockpile. They say additional supplies are available if needed.

1 dispersing   

adj. 分散的 动词disperse的现在分词形式

参考例句：

• Whereas gasoline fumes linger close to the ground before dispersing. 而汽油烟气却靠近地面迟迟不散。
• Earthworms may be instrumental in dispersing fungi or bacteria. 蚯蚓可能是散布真菌及细菌的工具。

2 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

3 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。

4 actively   

adv.积极地，勤奋地

参考例句：

• During this period all the students were actively participating.在这节课中所有的学生都积极参加。
• We are actively intervening to settle a quarrel.我们正在积极调解争执。

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 influenza   

n.流行性感冒，流感

参考例句：

• They took steps to prevent the spread of influenza.他们采取措施
• Influenza is an infectious disease.流感是一种传染病。

7 dispersed   

adj. 被驱散的, 被分散的, 散布的

参考例句：

• The clouds dispersed themselves. 云散了。
• After school the children dispersed to their homes. 放学后，孩子们四散回家了。