VOA标准英语2011-Little Progress Made Against Tuberculosis

Nearly 10 million new cases of tuberculosis¹ are expected this year. The disease is more prevalent than ever, and the world's drug researchers don't seem to be making much headway.

Tuberculosis is a stubborn disease to treat. The current regimen for standard cases involves four different medicines taken over six months. More powerful medicines are needed for drug-resistant strains, and some varieties are hard to treat with any drugs.

Most recent tuberculosis drugs are variations on previous medicines. Anil Koul, a researcher with drug maker² Johnson & Johnson, notes that the last TB drug with a completely new mechanism³, rifampicin, was discovered almost a half-century ago. There are now just a handful of potential TB drugs in development, and some are variations of existing drugs, or scaffolds.

"With just nine drugs in the pipeline⁴, with lots of resistance issues - some of these drugs being re-engineered scaffolds and with lots of post-approval failures in the drug industry, I think lots of work still needs to be done," he says.

Koul attributes the relatively⁵ small number of possible new tuberculosis drugs to complacency and a sense that progress was being made with existing drugs.

"The disease was in decline, people thought we eradicated⁶ it," Koul explained. "Then we stopped thinking about the disease and the innovation that was needed. This also had a knock-out effect on the funding, there was no funding available to really start any pharmaceutical⁷ projects, to really discuss innovative⁸ approaches for TB."

The United Nations has set eradication⁹ of tuberculosis by 2050 as one of its Millennium¹⁰ Development Goals. Koul says that would require speeding up drug development - moving from an underpowered economy sedan to a sports car is the analogy he used. But with most TB victims being among the world's poor and marginalized people, he said better drugs are only part of the answer.

"We need preventive measures. I think we also need proper access - how to bring these pharmaceuticals¹¹, which are currently in the pipeline, to these poor patients."

Those preventive measures, plus removing the social stigma¹² of tuberculosis, says Koul.

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 maker   

n.制造者，制造商

参考例句：

• He is a trouble maker，You must be distant with him.他是个捣蛋鬼，你不要跟他在一起。
• A cabinet maker must be a master craftsman.家具木工必须是技艺高超的手艺人。

3 mechanism   

n.机械装置；机构，结构

参考例句：

• The bones and muscles are parts of the mechanism of the body.骨骼和肌肉是人体的组成部件。
• The mechanism of the machine is very complicated.这台机器的结构是非常复杂的。

4 pipeline   

n.管道，管线

参考例句：

• The pipeline supplies Jordan with 15 per cent of its crude oil.该管道供给约旦15%的原油。
• A single pipeline serves all the houses with water.一条单管路给所有的房子供水。

5 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。

6 eradicated   

画着根的

参考例句：

• Polio has been virtually eradicated in Brazil. 在巴西脊髓灰质炎实际上已经根除。
• The disease has been eradicated from the world. 这种疾病已在全世界得到根除。

7 pharmaceutical   

adj.药学的，药物的；药用的，药剂师的

参考例句：

• She has donated money to establish a pharmaceutical laboratory.她捐款成立了一个药剂实验室。
• We are engaged in a legal tussle with a large pharmaceutical company.我们正同一家大制药公司闹法律纠纷。

8 innovative   

adj.革新的，新颖的，富有革新精神的

参考例句：

• Discover an innovative way of marketing.发现一个创新的营销方式。
• He was one of the most creative and innovative engineers of his generation.他是他那代人当中最富创造性与革新精神的工程师之一。

9 eradication   

n.根除

参考例句：

• The eradication of an established infestation is not easy. 根除昆虫蔓延是不容易的。
• This is often required for intelligent control and eradication. 这经常需要灵巧的控制与消除。

10 millennium   

n.一千年，千禧年；太平盛世

参考例句：

• The whole world was counting down to the new millennium.全世界都在倒计时迎接新千年的到来。
• We waited as the clock ticked away the last few seconds of the old millennium.我们静候着时钟滴答走过千年的最后几秒钟。

11 pharmaceuticals   

n.医药品；药物( pharmaceutical的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• the development of new pharmaceuticals 新药的开发
• The companies are pouring trillions of yen into biotechnology research,especially for pharmaceuticals and new seeds. 这些公司将大量资金投入生物工艺学研究，尤其是药品和新种子方面。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 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。