The World Health Organization and several other United Nations agencies are calling for a major new effort to fight malaria, tuberculosis and AIDS. These three infectious diseases killed almost 6 million people last year. That is about 10 percent of the total number of deaths around the world last year.
The WHO and UN agencies released a new report at the World Economic Forum in New York City earlier this month. The document says that deaths around the world from malaria and tuberculosis could be cut in half by the year 2010. It also says the number of deaths from AIDS could be reduced 25 percent within that same time period.
The report is called “Calling Up the Response to Infectious Diseases.” It calls for huge new investments in methods to prevent and treat infectious diseases. Officials say money is needed for research and to purchase drugs. Money is also needed to devices to prevent diseases, such as bed nets. Bed nets prevent mosquitoes that carry malaria from biting people while they sleep.
David Heymann, director of the infectious disease program at the World Health Organization, says that providing effective drug treatments is important for improving peoples’ health and economic well – being. Reducing disease can also help improve economic growth in developing countries.
The WHO report also describes successful health programs in developing countries. In Peru, for example, the number of tuberculosis cases was cut in half by increasing the treatment to control the disease. In Vietnam, malaria was reduced 97 percent through the use of bed nets. And in Uganda, cases of the virus that causes AIDS were cut in half among pregnant women and children through the use of anti – AIDS drugs.
This new international health campaign is estimated to cost about 12,000 million dollars a year. So far, officials say the campaign has about 2,000 million dollars. The WHO says the campaign will need stronger relationships among government, private aid agencies, and drug companies to succeed.
小题1:According to the report is the disease most difficult to fight.
A．malaria
B．tuberculosis
C．AIDS
D．influenza小题2:To prevent these diseases, a large amount of money is needed to .
A．to buy food and pay for the caretakers
B．do research work, buy drugs and devices
C．take care of the families of the deaths
D．set up more hospitals and health institutions小题3:We can infer from the text that reducing infectious diseases is .
A．to help the countries develop better
B．to promote cooperation between countries
C．to help people get more scientific knowledge
D．to help people get a cleaner environment小题4:Most serious infectious diseases spread mainly in .
A．Africa
B．South America
C．Asia
D．developing countries小题5:To fight the diseases, is necessary.
A．better environment
B．cooperation between different people
C．to wipe out the pests
D．more drugs and money