VOA标准英语2010年-In Haiti, Wounds, Infectious Diseases

Tuesday's earthquake in Haiti left some 300,000 people homeless. Many are clustering in public places without food, clean water or sanitation¹. It's the perfect environment for the spread of communicable disease.

The earthquake decimated Haiti's capital just days ago. But it's an eternity² in terms of getting medical care to the injured.

Medicine and medical supplies, even sterile³ needles and thread to close wounds, are urgently needed. Meanwhile, doctors are doing the best they can. Dr. Hassan, with Doctors Without Borders, says, "For the moment we have a shortage of equipment.  We are doing what we can do.  We have already done a lot. We have helped a number of injured and we will continue to do so."

Help has been arriving. A U.S. aircraft carrier, equipped with supplies, operating rooms and water purifiers, has arrived in Port-au-Prince. The challenge is to get supplies to where they are needed.

International agencies estimate that up to three million people - a third of the population - may need emergency relief, a daunting⁴ task for any country, but especially an impoverished⁵ one like  Haiti.

Dr. Jon Andrus from the Pan American Health Organization says no one knows how many people need medical care.

"In a city of two [three] million people, thousands of people probably at this moment are in need of medical care," he says. "You can imagine when you see those photographs, those homes in rubble⁶, trapped people, it's just very, very difficult to estimate."

A small number of the injured have been flown to the U.S. for treatment. Some have made it to hospitals across the border in the Dominican Republic or to other countries such as Jamaica.

Crush injuries, head trauma⁷, puncture⁸ wounds, burns and broken bones require urgent critical care before blood clots⁹ develop or infections set in.  Surgeons, orthopedists, burn specialists and others are needed in large numbers.
 
Although bodies are decomposing¹⁰ on the streets, they are not a health threat.  

Health officials are more concerned about large numbers of people living in public spaces without clean water or sanitation.

"I think the major focus will be the prevention of diarhreal diseases, the prevention of respiratory diseases, the link to try to reinforce and prevent vaccine¹¹ preventable diseases," says Dr. Andrus.

Health experts are also concerned about hungry people eating contaminated food, and that the weakened immune systems of so many malnourished people could make them even more vulnerable to disease.

1 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。

2 eternity   

n.不朽，来世；永恒，无穷

参考例句：

• The dull play seemed to last an eternity.这场乏味的剧似乎演个没完没了。
• Finally,Ying Tai and Shan Bo could be together for all of eternity.英台和山伯终能双宿双飞，永世相随。

3 sterile   

adj.不毛的，不孕的，无菌的，枯燥的，贫瘠的

参考例句：

• This top fits over the bottle and keeps the teat sterile.这个盖子严实地盖在奶瓶上，保持奶嘴无菌。
• The farmers turned the sterile land into high fields.农民们把不毛之地变成了高产田。

4 daunting   

adj.使人畏缩的

参考例句：

• They were faced with the daunting task of restoring the house.他们面临着修复房子的艰巨任务。
• Starting a new job can be a daunting prospect.开始一项新工作有时会让人望而却步。

5 impoverished   

adj.穷困的，无力的，用尽了的v.使（某人）贫穷( impoverish的过去式和过去分词 )；使（某物）贫瘠或恶化

参考例句：

• the impoverished areas of the city 这个城市的贫民区
• They were impoverished by a prolonged spell of unemployment. 他们因长期失业而一贫如洗。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 rubble   

n.（一堆）碎石，瓦砾

参考例句：

• After the earthquake,it took months to clean up the rubble.地震后，花了数月才清理完瓦砾。
• After the war many cities were full of rubble.战后许多城市到处可见颓垣残壁。

7 trauma   

n.外伤，精神创伤

参考例句：

• Counselling is helping him work through this trauma.心理辅导正帮助他面对痛苦。
• The phobia may have its root in a childhood trauma.恐惧症可能源于童年时期的创伤。

8 puncture   

n.刺孔，穿孔；v.刺穿，刺破

参考例句：

• Failure did not puncture my confidence.失败并没有挫伤我的信心。
• My bicycle had a puncture and needed patching up.我的自行车胎扎了个洞，需要修补。

9 clots   

n.凝块( clot的名词复数 )；血块；蠢人；傻瓜v.凝固( clot的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• When you cut yourself, blood clots and forms a scab. 你割破了，血会凝固、结痂。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Milk clots when it turns sour. 奶变酸就凝块。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

10 decomposing   

腐烂( decompose的现在分词 )； （使）分解； 分解（某物质、光线等）

参考例句：

• The air was filled with the overpowering stench of decomposing vegetation. 空气中充满了令人难以忍受的腐烂植物的恶臭。
• Heat was obtained from decomposing manures and hot air flues. 靠肥料分解和烟道为植物提供热量。

11 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。