VOA标准英语2010年-Health, Community Leaders in San Franc

Public health officials in San Francisco, and leaders from its large Asian community, are mounting an aggressive campaign to eradicate¹ hepatitis B from the city. They say demographics are largely responsible for San Francisco having the highest concentration of hepatitis B in the U.S, as well as the highest rates of liver cancer, which is usually caused by the virus.

Greg Zhang, 46,  is recovering from recent surgery to remove a tumor² from his liver...a result of his life-long infection with hepatitis B.

Zhang's surgeon is Dr. Samuel So, director of the Stanford University Asian Liver Center.

"Hepatitis B is the silent killer³ because most people who are chronically⁴ infected may not be aware of the infection," he said. "In fact you know two out of three of them don't even know they're infected because usually they feel perfectly⁵ healthy."

The hepatitis B virus is found in blood and bodily fluids.  Many people can live with the virus and never get sick, but 25 percent of those infected eventually develop severe liver damage or cancer. The virus can be transmitted by unsafe sex and unsterile needles, but most people who suffer from the disease become infected at birth from their mothers. 

Zhang, and his younger brother Haiyang, were born in China, one of several Asian countries where the disease is endemic. Haiyang died of advanced liver cancer shortly after he was diagnosed.

The American Liver Foundation says one in 10 Asian Americans have the virus, a disease that's 100 times more likely to strike Asian Americans than other ethnic⁶ groups. And in San Francisco, a full one-third of the population is of Asian descent. 

The city's Hep B Free Campaign offers free testing, vaccinations⁸, and treatment. There's no known cure for hepatitis B, although the virus can be kept in check with anti-viral medicines. Those infected need to have yearly ultrasounds and blood tests to screen for early stages of liver cancer.

Newborns need a vaccination⁷ within the first day of life to prevent transmission of the virus from their mothers, and babies need two more doses within the first six months for full immunity⁹.

Public awareness¹⁰ is another part of the campaign. A controversial advertisement on television and billboards¹¹ shows 10 Asian beauty pageant¹² contestants¹³ and asks which one deserves to die.

Hepatitis B carries a stigma¹⁴. And that is something California Assembly member Fiona Ma of San Francisco is working hard to change. She is Hepatitis B-positive.

"My cousin, who was born in China, actually got very upset and said, 'Please don't talk about it. People will think you are sick and they are not going to vote for you.'  And my message was, 'I am a public figure and this is my responsibility,'" she said.

But Stanford's Dr. So - whose mother-in-law died from liver cancer - says changing attitudes is just a start. He says other diseases get more public attention and therefore more money.

"This is really tragic¹⁵ on a global scale, there's really major neglect about hepatitis B.  About one in 20 people in the world are chronically infected.  One in 20. Ten times more than people in the world infected with HIV," Dr. So said.

For now, the battle against hepatitis B is concentrated in communities with large Asian populations. Other cities, including Philadelphia, Washington and Los Angeles, are making plans to use the San Francisco program as a model.

 

1 eradicate   

v.根除，消灭，杜绝

参考例句：

• These insects are very difficult to eradicate.这些昆虫很难根除。
• They are already battling to eradicate illnesses such as malaria and tetanus.他们已经在努力消灭疟疾、破伤风等疾病。

2 tumor   

n.（肿）瘤，肿块(英)tumour

参考例句：

• He was died of a malignant tumor.他死于恶性肿瘤。
• The surgeons irradiated the tumor.外科医生用X射线照射那个肿瘤。

3 killer   

n.杀人者，杀人犯，杀手，屠杀者

参考例句：

• Heart attacks have become Britain's No.1 killer disease.心脏病已成为英国的头号致命疾病。
• The bulk of the evidence points to him as her killer.大量证据证明是他杀死她的。

4 chronically   

ad.长期地

参考例句：

• Similarly, any pigment nevus that is chronically irritated should be excised. 同样，凡是经常受慢性刺激的各种色素痣切勿予以切除。
• People chronically exposed to chlorine develop some degree of tolerance. 人长期接触氯气可以产生某种程度的耐受性。

5 perfectly   

adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
• Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。

6 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。

7 vaccination   

n.接种疫苗，种痘

参考例句：

• Vaccination is a preventive against smallpox.种痘是预防天花的方法。
• Doctors suggest getting a tetanus vaccination every ten years.医生建议每十年注射一次破伤风疫苗。

8 vaccinations   

n.种痘，接种( vaccination的名词复数 )；牛痘疤

参考例句：

• Vaccinations ensure one against diseases. 接种疫苗可以预防疾病。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• I read some publicity about vaccinations while waiting my turn at the doctor's. 在医生那儿候诊时，我读了一些关于接种疫苗的宣传。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 immunity   

n.优惠；免除；豁免，豁免权

参考例句：

• The law gives public schools immunity from taxation.法律免除公立学校的纳税义务。
• He claims diplomatic immunity to avoid being arrested.他要求外交豁免以便避免被捕。

10 awareness   

n.意识，觉悟，懂事，明智

参考例句：

• There is a general awareness that smoking is harmful.人们普遍认识到吸烟有害健康。
• Environmental awareness has increased over the years.这些年来人们的环境意识增强了。

11 billboards   

n.广告牌( billboard的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Large billboards have disfigured the scenery. 大型告示板已破坏了景色。 来自辞典例句
• Then, put the logo in magazines and on billboards without telling anyone what it means. 接着我们把这个商标刊在杂志和广告看板上，却不跟任何人透漏它的涵意。 来自常春藤生活英语杂志-2006年4月号

12 pageant   

n.壮观的游行；露天历史剧

参考例句：

• Our pageant represented scenes from history.我们的露天历史剧上演一幕幕的历史事件。
• The inauguration ceremony of the new President was a splendid pageant.新主席的就职典礼的开始是极其壮观的。

13 contestants   

n.竞争者，参赛者( contestant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The competition attracted over 500 contestants representing 8 different countries. 这次比赛吸引了代表8个不同国家的500多名参赛者。
• Two candidates are emerging as contestants for the presidency. 两位候选人最终成为总统职位竞争者。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 stigma   

n.耻辱，污名；(花的)柱头

参考例句：

• Being an unmarried mother used to carry a social stigma.做未婚母亲在社会上曾是不光彩的事。
• The stigma of losing weighed heavily on the team.失败的耻辱让整个队伍压力沉重。

15 tragic   

adj.悲剧的，悲剧性的，悲惨的

参考例句：

• The effect of the pollution on the beaches is absolutely tragic.污染海滩后果可悲。
• Charles was a man doomed to tragic issues.查理是个注定不得善终的人。