VOA常速英语--4月25日：全球疟疾日

On April 25th we observe World Malaria Day. It is an occasion to recognize the global effort to effectively control, and eventually eliminate, this devastating disease. This year's theme is “Ready to Beat Malaria.”

In 2016, 216 million people became sick with malaria, and over 445,000 died. The World Health Organization, or WHO, reports that 90 percent of malaria cases were reported in Africa, as were 91 percent of malaria-related deaths.

The good news is malaria is preventable and curable. Over the last nearly two decades, there has been a coordinated global effort to eliminate the disease altogether. Between 2000 and 2015, new cases among populations at risk fell by 29 percent globally.

After an unprecedented period of success in controlling this disease, it is clear that there is more work ahead.

We continue to focus on prevention. Among the most successful weapons we have against this deadly disease are insecticide-treated nets and indoor spraying with insecticides to kill the mosquitoes that carry the illness-causing parasite. These preventive tools - when coupled with strategies to prevent malaria during pregnancy, low-cost diagnostic tools, and highly-effective malaria treatments - dramatically reduce death and disease from malaria.

Yet much more needs to be done. To address remaining challenges, including the emergence of drug-resistant malaria, the WHO has developed the Global Technical Strategy for Malaria, which provides a technical framework for all endemic countries as they work towards control and eventually elimination.

The first goals, to be reached by the year 2030, are to reduce malaria incidence by at least 90 percent, reduce malaria mortality rates by at least 90 percent, eliminate the disease in at least 35 countries, and prevent a resurgence of malaria in all countries that are malaria-free.

If we are to be successful, donors must help fund the effort. The United States government has been involved in global malaria activities since the 1950s and, today, is the largest donor to global malaria efforts, including through its President's Malaria Initiative and U.S. contributions to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. Still, if the 2030 targets of the Global Technical Strategy are to be achieved, total funding must increase substantially.

On this day, we call on our friends and partners around the globe to reaffirm their commitment to this important effort and contribute the funds and support needed to help roll back, and eventually eliminate, malaria once and for all.

4月25日是世界疟疾日。这一天，我们肯定全球为有效控制并根除疟疾这一毁灭性疾病所做的努力。今年世界疟疾日的主题是“准备击败疟疾”。

2016年，患有疟疾的人群有2.16亿人，其中44.5万人死去。根据世卫组织(WHO)的报告，90%的疟疾病例出现在非洲，而91%与疟疾相关的死亡病例也是在非洲。

好消息是：疟疾是可预防、可治疗的。过去近20年来，全球各地通力协作，一道为根除疟疾而努力。2000-2015年间，全球高危人群的比例下降了29%。

虽然在控制疟疾方面，我们取得了前所未有的成绩，但很明显，未来还有很多工作要做。

我依然要专注于防范疟疾。我们防范致命疟疾的利器有：使用喷洒过杀虫剂的网、在室内喷洒杀虫剂，杀死携带疟原虫的蚊子。这些预防工具——辅以一些如下策略：孕期内预防疟疾、采用低成本的治疗工具，并高效治疗疟疾病——都可以大幅减少死亡病例，降低患上疟疾的可能性。

但我们需要做的还有很多。为了应对遗留的诸多挑战，比如抗药性疟疾的突发问题，世卫组织制定了全球疟疾技术战略。该战略为所有存在疟疾问题的国家提供了一个技术框架，助力它们控制疟疾并最终根除疟疾。

首批目标将于2030年之前实现，即将疟疾发病率降低至少90%，将疟疾死亡率降低至少90%，在至少35个国家根除疟疾，避免所有尚未出现疟疾病例的国家染上疟疾。

要成功，就需要有捐助方资助我们的工作。美国政府自上世纪50年代以来就一直在参与全球与疟疾有关的活动中。如今，美国是打击全球疟疾方面捐献额最大的国家，捐献方式包括美国总统发起的疟疾行动，以及美国对全球艾滋病、结核和结疾基金的资助。虽然如此，如果要达成2030年全球疟疾技术战略的目标，总资助额需要大幅提升才可以。

在全球疟疾日这一天，我们呼吁全球各地的盟友和伙伴再次表现出他们在抗击疟疾这项工作中的努力，捐献资金，贡献支持，以助力减少并最终根除，永绝后患。