Experts: World past due for flu pandemic
在大规模传染病面前，世界很无力

☆past due 过期
　pandemic 大范围的传染病

Wednesday, March 17, 2004 Posted: 1906 GMT (0306 HKT)

GENEVA, Switzerland  -- Asia's bird flu could still spark a deadly human influenza pandemic and all countries need to step up readiness, health experts said at a conference this week.
瑞士，日内瓦－－在本周的会议上，健康专家称：亚洲禽流感仍可能引起大规模致死性人流感暴发流行，每个国家对此都要提高应对能力。

☆bird flu 禽流感
   

Vaccines and anti-virals would be in short supply in the early stages of any global flu pandemic, when measures from quarantines to travel warnings could save lives, they added.
他们还称，在全球性流感大流行的早期阶段，将出现疫苗和抗病毒药物供应短缺的情况。通过隔离检疫及旅游预警可以挽救许多生命。

☆vaccines 疫苗
    anti-viral 抗病毒
    quarantine 检疫,隔离

Around 100 experts from 40 countries are attending a three-day meeting called by the World Health Organization to review global preparedness for a long-predicted flu pandemic.
世界卫生组织召开发由来自40个国家的约100位医生参加的，为期三天的会议，旨在研究针对以后的流感大流行，采取全球性的预防措施。

☆ preparedness 准备状态，预备状态

Bird flu, which spread across eight countries of Asia from late last year, has killed a total of 23 people in Vietnam and Thailand. Some 100 million poultry have died or been culled.
去年年底，席卷8个亚洲国家的禽流感，导致越南和泰国23人死亡。大约1亿只家禽病死以及被捕杀。

☆ poultry 家禽
     cull 捕杀

"If the virus acquired full capacity human to human transmission, we should expect a pandemic with huge morbidity and mortality," Hitoshi Oshitani, head of WHO's Western Pacific Regional Office, told the opening session.
世界卫生组织西太平洋区主席Hitoshi Oshitani在开幕式上说：“如果病毒获得人类相互传染的能力，可以预计，将发生伴有高致病率及高死亡率的大规模暴发流行。”

☆ morbidity 发病
     mortality 死亡率

"In many countries there is no established surveillance system for animals and humans. Unfortunately, most developing countries still don't have national pandemic plans," he added.
他还说：“在许多国家，仍然没有建立针对动物和人的监测系统。甚而，在大多数的发展中国家，还没有应对大规模暴发流行病的全国性计划。”

☆ surveillance 监测