VOA标准英语2009年-Swine Flu Death Toll in India Increases

In India, five more people have died of swine flu, taking the death toll¹ from the HIN1 virus to six.
　
Image of H1N1 influenza² virus

The city of Pune reported its third death due to the H1N1 virus on Monday, when a 35-year-old doctor of traditional medicine succumbed³ to swine flu. Authorities say three people hospitalized with the virus in the city are in critical condition.

Pune is about 120 kilometers southeast of India's financial capital, Mumbai. The other deaths have been reported from Mumbai and Ahmedabad - also in the west, and from Chennai in southern India.

A four-year-old boy died in Chennai on Monday. A woman in Mumbai, and an Indian businessman visiting Ahmedabad from the United States died over the weekend after contracting H1N1.

Pune authorities announced new measures to stem the spread of the virus. Schools and colleges have been closed for a week, and cinemas and shopping malls have been ordered shut for three days. People have been advised to stay at home.

Guardian⁴ Minister in Pune, Ajit Pawar, asked people not to panic as tens of thousands of worried people flocked to city hospitals for tests.

He said that apprehensions⁵ among many people that the disease cannot be treated quickly are not true, and 135 people have been treated and gone home after recovering.

Several schools have been closed in big cities such as New Delhi, Bangalore and Mumbai as a precaution.

Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad appealed to anyone with flu like symptoms to stay away from crowded places. He said his ministry⁶ will ask state governments to step up preparedness to tackle a possible increase in the number of cases.

"I think the way swine flu is spreading we need to work a little harder ... they will impress upon the state government they should immediately identify more hospitals, isolation⁷ facility centers, separate wards⁸ for the patients," Azad said.

He said 864 people have been identified with H1N1 virus in the country, of which 533 have been treated. He says says sufficient stocks of the anti-flu drug are being distributed.

The World Health Organization has said that more than 1,150 people have died from swine flu, and the virus is in 168 countries.

1 toll   

n.过路(桥)费；损失，伤亡人数；v.敲(钟)

参考例句：

• The hailstone took a heavy toll of the crops in our village last night.昨晚那场冰雹损坏了我们村的庄稼。
• The war took a heavy toll of human life.这次战争夺去了许多人的生命。

2 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。

3 succumbed   

不再抵抗（诱惑、疾病、攻击等）( succumb的过去式和过去分词 )； 屈从； 被压垮； 死

参考例句：

• The town succumbed after a short siege. 该城被围困不久即告失守。
• After an artillery bombardment lasting several days the town finally succumbed. 在持续炮轰数日后，该城终于屈服了。

4 guardian   

n.监护人；守卫者，保护者

参考例句：

• The form must be signed by the child's parents or guardian. 这张表格须由孩子的家长或监护人签字。
• The press is a guardian of the public weal. 报刊是公共福利的卫护者。

5 apprehensions   

疑惧

参考例句：

• He stood in a mixture of desire and apprehensions. 他怀着渴望和恐惧交加的心情伫立着。
• But subsequent cases have removed many of these apprehensions. 然而，随后的案例又消除了许多类似的忧虑。

6 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

7 isolation   

n.隔离，孤立，分解，分离

参考例句：

• The millionaire lived in complete isolation from the outside world.这位富翁过着与世隔绝的生活。
• He retired and lived in relative isolation.他退休后，生活比较孤寂。

8 wards   

区( ward的名词复数 )； 病房； 受监护的未成年者； 被人照顾或控制的状态

参考例句：

• This hospital has 20 medical [surgical] wards. 这所医院有 20 个内科[外科]病房。
• It was a big constituency divided into three wards. 这是一个大选区，下设三个分区。