几内亚和塞拉利昂等国埃博拉依旧在蔓延

Guinea, Sierra Leone Still Have Ebola 几内亚和塞拉利昂等国埃博拉依旧在蔓延

The Ebola outbreak in West Africa is still not over. Health officials continue to report cases in Guinea and Sierra Leone. Liberia was declared Ebola-free on May 9.

Dr. Margaret Harris of the World Health Organization said, “It’s taking a little bit longer and it’s proving quite difficult in both Guinea and Sierra Leone. But honestly, this is something we’ve expected. We’ve been saying for a long time -  we keep using this analogy - ‘the bumpy¹ road.’ We noticed when Liberia had managed to drop most of its cases down it still took four months before they got to the end of their outbreak. And we’re seeing the same sort of thing…in both Sierra Leone and Guinea.”

She said the outbreak in the two countries is a bit more complex and difficult than in Liberia.

“It is something we really have to intensify² our efforts to tackle,” she said.

One major obstacle to ending the epidemic³ remains⁴ a lack of awareness⁵ in some places.

“People in communities that are affected⁶ by Ebola… and this is not all the people just some people…still do not accept that it really is the risk that we know it is. So, for instance, we’re still seeing traditional herbalists treating people with illness that turns out to be Ebola. We had one such case, which sparked another 20 others cases….and we’re also still seeing unsafe burials,” she said.

Harris does not have exact numbers, but she said, “There are certainly a large number of people who are quarantined in specific areas.”

The hotspots are along the common border between Guinea and Sierra Leone. However, Harris said tests show this is not because the virus is being carried from one country to the other. Most of the infections involve movement within the countries. So, a lot of work needs to be done to learn who came in contact with infected people. It’s called contact tracing.

“We feel that the screening being done at the border is being done appropriately. And that’s something that governments in all three countries have made a great deal of effort to ensure that people who have symptoms do not travel into other areas,” The WHO official said.

As for what still needs to be done, Harris said, “We think we certainly need to really re-intensify. One of the difficulties with an outbreak that’s as long as this is fatigue⁷ really sets in. And that sets in at local levels. That sets in at national level and that certainly sets in at international level.”

She said that she’s spoken to many people who think the outbreak is over because there are just a few cases. But she warned just one case can reignite the epidemic.

Harris added that some of the lessons learned about containing Ebola are being applied⁸ to the MERS outbreak.

1 bumpy   

adj.颠簸不平的，崎岖的

参考例句：

• I think we've a bumpy road ahead of us.我觉得我们将要面临一段困难时期。
• The wide paved road degenerated into a narrow bumpy track.铺好的宽阔道路渐渐变窄，成了一条崎岖不平的小径。

2 intensify   

vt.加强；变强；加剧

参考例句：

• We must intensify our educational work among our own troops.我们必须加强自己部队的教育工作。
• They were ordered to intensify their patrols to protect our air space.他们奉命加强巡逻，保卫我国的领空。

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 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

5 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。

6 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。

7 fatigue   

n.疲劳，劳累

参考例句：

• The old lady can't bear the fatigue of a long journey.这位老妇人不能忍受长途旅行的疲劳。
• I have got over my weakness and fatigue.我已从虚弱和疲劳中恢复过来了。

8 applied   

adj.应用的；v.应用，适用

参考例句：

• She plans to take a course in applied linguistics.她打算学习应用语言学课程。
• This cream is best applied to the face at night.这种乳霜最好晚上擦脸用。