环球英语 — 238：Dengue Fever

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Thank you for joining us for Spotlight 1. I’m Liz Waid.

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And I’m Joshua Leo. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand no matter where in the world they live.

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In February 2007, countries in South America received more rain than usual. The weather was also warmer than usual. And the mosquito population increased. These small flying insects lay their eggs in warm wet places. Many of the mosquitoes carried the disease 2 dengue fever. They infected thousands of people in Brazil, Paraguay, and Bolivia. Authorities 3 declared a health emergency for these countries. They did everything they could to keep the disease from spreading even more. But many people still became sick. Outbreaks like this happen all over the world every few years.

Today’s Spotlight is on dengue fever.

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The World Health Organization estimates 4 that dengue fever affects more than fifty million [50,000,000] people every year. The disease affects people mostly in the America’s, Asia, and Africa. The fever only lasts for six or seven days. But it can be deadly.

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Mosquitoes spread dengue fever. These small insects bite humans, and drink their blood. If this blood carries a disease, the mosquitoes become infected. When the mosquito bites another person, it releases 5 the disease to the new victim. Mosquitoes spread many diseases 6 this way, including dengue fever. It is hard to believe that such a small insect can cause such a large problem!

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Once the virus enters a person’s blood system, it causes many problems. In all people, the virus causes a fever. Babies and children will also usually get a rash 7. Their skin will become red. Older children and adults will feel pain in their heads. They especially experience pain behind their eyes. Their bodies hurt when they move. Some people call dengue fever the “bonebreaker” sickness. This is because of the severe pain in the victim’s joints 8 and muscles, his arms and legs. This sickness usually lasts for about a week.

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But Dengue fever is not just painful. It can also be deadly. The fever can become very high. This fever lasts for two to seven days. It can get as high as forty [40] to forty one [41] degrees Celsius 9. The victim’s brain gets too hot. His liver 10 may get larger than normal. And his blood system may stop working correctly. He may begin to haemorrhage. That is, his organs may bleed inside his body. His brain may even start to bleed. This serious form of the disease is called dengue hemorrhagic fever.

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At the end of July 2007 the World Health Organization warned parts of Asia about a growing dengue fever problem. The organization said that areas in Vietnam, Cambodia, Singapore, and Indonesia could face the worst case of dengue fever seen in many years.

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By the end of July, 2007 the disease had attacked about twenty five thousand [25,000] people in Cambodia. It had killed about three hundred [300] children there. Cases of dengue fever were already three times higher than in 2005. Hospitals filled quickly. Sick children had to wait outside hospital rooms to be treated.

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Mohammad Wildan was one of these patients. At that time he was five years old. His grandmother brought him to the hospital. His grandmother said:

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“We did not think that it was dengue. We thought it was just a common fever.”

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This happens very often. At first, dengue fever can seem like a common sickness. People think they have influenza 11 or a normal fever. But when the problem lasts longer, they know it is something worse. If people wait too long to come to the hospital, they may suffer serious problems. This is what happened to Muhammad. When he arrived at the hospital, he was already bleeding inside.

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Doctors could treat Muhammad’s bleeding, but they could not treat the disease. There is no cure for dengue fever. To stop the disease, a person must stop the mosquitoes. There are many ways to stop mosquitoes. The first way is to stop the young mosquitoes. These larvae 12 live in still areas of water. People can add special chemicals to the water areas. These will kill the mosquito larvae.

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Another easy way to stop the mosquito larvae is to remove any still water areas. This includes anything that collects water, like old car wheels, or pans 13. Small wet areas of grass are also common places for mosquitoes. Removing these wet areas helps to reduce the mosquito population. Good drainage 14 is very important. People need to make sure that water does not collect on the ground. Instead water should move away from the house. This helps to reduce the spread of dengue fever.

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Reducing mosquito populations helps to reduce the spread of the disease. But each person can do many other things to avoid the disease too. A person can cover their skin with clothing. They can put mosquito repellent on their bodies. This liquid chemical keeps mosquitoes away. Sleeping under a mosquito net will also help. This thin cloth keeps the mosquitoes from getting close to the body.

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Although today there is no medicine to prevent dengue fever, many doctors and scientists are working to create one. A group called Pediatric Dengue Vaccine 15 Initiative 16 is testing a medicine to stop dengue fever. The group includes doctors from all over the world. These doctors are working together to research more about dengue fever. They are testing medicines to make sure that they are safe and work correctly. And finally, they are working to make sure that these medicines do not cost a lot of money. They want children in all areas of the world to receive this medicine.

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The Pediatric Dengue Vaccine Initiative understands that it is important to work together to fight this disease. This is true for people all over the world. Community members must work together to reduce mosquito populations. Families and friends must work together to prevent mosquitoes from spreading the disease. They must care for each other immediately if someone gets dengue fever. We all must work together to spread information about the disease. If we all work together, we just might stop dengue fever.