Experts meeting in emergency session at the World Health Organization agree the Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo does not constitute a public health emergency of international concern.
The experts say the Ebola outbreak does not pose a global threat since the deadly virus has not crossed any international borders. But they warn this is no time to sit back as the epidemic continues to spread. It says efforts to contain the disease must be redoubled.
The assessment follows a warning issued Friday by top Red Cross official Emanuele Capobianco who expressed concern about a possible regional spread of the Ebola virus after a recent spike in cases in the DRC.
The recent spike in Ebola infections has seen the number of cases rise to 1206, including 764 deaths. The current upsurge has occurred in remaining epicenters of the disease in conflict-ridden North Kivu province, notably in Butembo, Katwa, Vuhove and Mandima.
The WHO says these areas have been off limits because of insecurity, seriously hindering the Ebola response. Because of the lack of access, Executive Director of WHO Health Emergency Program, Mike Ryan, says the WHO has fallen behind in starting vaccination rings.
"Vaccination is proving to be a highly effective way of stopping this virus. But if we cannot vaccinate people, we cannot protect them. We can also not get people out to Ebola treatment units. If someone stays in the community with Ebola and begins to have diarrhea or bleeding, they will infect their families. So, getting an Ebola patient to safe and effective treatment center is also very important," Ryan said.
In the last few days, Ryan says aid workers have been able to get back into these Ebola-affected communities. He says they have been able to begin vaccinations and implement other crucial Ebola-control measures.
The current Ebola outbreak is the worst ever in DRC and the second largest recorded after the 2014 epidemic in West Africa, which killed more than 11,000 people.
The WHO expert committee recommends scaling up community dialogue and participation of traditional healers to lessen community mistrust and gain its acceptance.
Because of the high risk of regional spread, the committee advises neighboring countries to accelerate current preparedness and surveillance efforts.
The WHO is appealing to the international community to support its Ebola-control operation. It says it desperately needs $148 million to keep the operation running until July. It warns it will not be able to end the epidemic if it does not have the money to implement essential programs.
Language Notes
outbreak [ˋaʊt͵breɪk] / [ˋaʊt͵brek] (n)（尤指疾病、危險或不快之事的）發作，暴發，突然發生
* break out (v phr) 突然發生；爆發
constitute [ˋkɑnstə͵tut] / [ˋkɑnstə͵tjut] (v) 構成，組成
epidemic [͵epəˋdemɪk] / [͵ɛpɪˋdɛmɪk] (n) 流行病，時疫；（流行病的）傳播
* 注意本字重音在第 3 音節；也可作形容詞，意即「流行的；盛行的；肆虐的」
redouble [riˋdʌbl̩] (v) 使加倍；大大增加，加強
* 本字由字首 “re-”「再一次」與動詞 “double”「使加倍；是 . . . . . . 的兩倍；加一倍，翻一 番」組成
spike [spaɪk] (n)（通常指在下跌前）非常高的數量，價格或程度
* 本字也常指「尖頭，尖刺；（尤指金屬的）尖狀物」
infection [ɪnˋfekʃən] / [ɪnˋfɛkʃən] (n) 傳染；侵染
* 注意本字重音在第 2 音節
* infect [ɪnˋfekt] / [ɪnˋfɛkt] (v)（疾病）傳染，感染；感染（地方，傷口或物體）
upsurge [ʌpˋsɝdʒ] (n) 高漲；高潮
* 本字由副詞 “up”「向較高處；向上；（價值、數位或水準）加大地；增高地」和名詞 “surge” 「陡增，遽增，急遽上升」組成；注意重音在第 2 音節
epicenter [ˋepɪ͵sentɚ] / [ˋɛpɪ͵sɛntɚ] (n) 震央，中心；集中點
* 本字由字首 “epi-”「在 . . . . . . 之上」和名詞 “center”「中心點；中心，中央」組成；英式拼 法為 “epicentre”
off limits [͵ɔfˋlɪmɪts] / [͵ɑfˋlɪmɪts] (a) 禁止入內的
* 注意本字重音在第 2 音節；另一拼法 “off-limits”
hinder [ˋhɪndɚ] (v) 妨礙；阻礙（+ from）
vaccination [͵væksəˋneɪʃən] / [͵væksəˋneʃən] (n) 疫苗接種；種痘（+ against）
* 注意本字重音在第 3 音節
* vaccinate [ˋvæksə͵neɪt] / [ˋvæksə͵net] (v) 給 . . . . . . 接種疫苗
diarrhea [͵daɪəˋriə] (n) 腹瀉，下痢
* 注意本字重音在第 3 音節，字母 “h” 不發音；英式拼法為 “diarrhoea”
implement [ˋɪmplə͵ment] / [ˋɪmplə͵mɛnt] (v) 實施；實踐；執行
* 本字也可作名詞，意指「工具；器具；用具」，發音為 [ˋɪmplə͵mənt] 或 [ˋɪmplɪ͵mənt]
scale up (v phr) 放大；增加；提高
lessen [ˋlesən] / [ˋlɛsn̩] (v) 使變小，使變少；使減輕
preparedness [prɪˋper(ə)dnəs] / [prɪˋpɛrɪdnɪs] (n) 準備狀態，預備狀態
* 本字由動詞 “prepare”「準備，預備；把 . . . . . . 準備好，使預備好」和表示性質、狀態的名 詞字尾 “-ness” 組成；注意重音在第 2 音節
surveillance [sɚˋveɪləns] / [sɚˋveləns] (n) 監視，盯梢
* 注意本字重音在第 2 音節
* surveillance camera (n phr) 監視攝影機
appeal [əˋpil] (v)（尤指向公眾）呼籲，籲請，求助，懇求（+ to／for）
* 注意本字重音在第 2 音節；另常見意思為「（尤指為尋求減輕處罰而向更高一級法院提 出）上訴」，也可作名詞，意即「（尤指向公眾的）呼籲，籲請，求助，懇求」
Check your vocabulary!
Fill in the blanks with a word or phrase from the list above. Make necessary changes. After you finish, highlight the blanks to reveal the hidden answers.
1. High winds have hindered firefighters in their efforts to put out the blaze.
2. They felt that our discussions with other companies constituted a breach of our agreement.
3. The country had been slow to implement the new European directive.
4. Our company is scaling up its operations in the Middle East.
5. An upsurge of violence in the district has been linked to increased unemployment.
6. The company is redoubling efforts to make its young advertising salesforce more professional.
7. The individual is always trying to reconcile his inner and outer world and lessen the anxiety of the internal situation.
8. The police have appealed to anyone with information to come forward and talk.
編譯：外語教學暨資源中心 編輯小組
Read more on VOA.
