War on Disease
By Rick Weiss
National Geographic Magazine
Microbes threaten billions of people in a world weakened by poverty, war,
lack of clean water, and inattention.
Just a couple of decades ago experts declared that many infectious diseases
were on the brink of extinction. Improved sanitation, mosquito control, global
vaccination, and modern antibiotics appeared to have won the war, and selfassuredness spawned complacency. Flush with our early successes against them,
we concluded that microbes were no competition for our big human brains. We
were wrong.
****
The recent emphasis on bioterrorism obscures a more pedestrian but
equally important truth about infectious diseases: Even without the element of
intentional terror, diseases are a huge source of human suffering—and a
tremendously destabilizing force. Nearly half of the world’s premature deaths
(defined as deaths under the age of 45) are caused by infectious diseases. Some 30
million infants in developing countries remain unprotected by the lifesaving
childhood vaccines that in the rest of the world are administered routinely; a
million die each year from measles alone. It may not be obvious in the healthier
nations, but from a microbe’s point of view the world today—even with modern
antibiotics and fancy vaccines—remains a virtual smorgasbord. With the recent
reemergence of some of these diseases in richer nations, there is a growing
recognition that no nation is an island.
“The lesson of West Nile is that any country is vulnerable,” says David
Heymann, executive director of communicable diseases at the World Health
Organization in Geneva. “Countries have to realize that infectious diseases,
regardless of their origins, can travel widely and affect anyone.” No nation, no
matter how rich or seemingly protected, can be assured of a healthy and peaceful
future as long as any nation is still an active breeding ground for the world’s
many and varied scourges.
Word
disease
microbe
Definition
an illness which affects a person, animal, or plant
an extremely small living thing which you can only see if you use a
microscope. Some microbes can cause diseases
to be likely to harm or destroy something
threaten
to make someone lose their physical strength, or to become
weaken
physically weak
the situation or experience of being poor
poverty
when there is not enough of something, or none of it
lack
lack of attention
inattention
a period of 10 years
decade
someone who has a special skill or special knowledge of a subject,
expert
gained as a result of training or experience
to say publicly what you think or feel
declare
an infectious illness can be passed from one person to another,
infectious
especially through the air you breathe
on the brink ofin a situation when you are almost in a new situation, usually a bad
one
when a particular type of animal or plant stops existing (on the
extinction
brink of extinction = nearly extinct)
better than before
improved
the protection of public health by removing and treating waste,
sanitation
dirty water etc
a small flying insect that sucks the blood of people and animals,
mosquito
sometimes spreading the disease malaria
affecting or including the whole world
global
protection of a person from a disease by giving them a vaccine
vaccination
a drug that is used to kill bacteria and cure infections
antibiotic
used to say how something seems, especially from what you know
appear
about it or from what you can see
self-assurance - a feeling of calm confidence about your own
selfassuredness abilities, or that you are right about something
to make a series of things happen or start to exist
spawn
complacency a feeling of satisfaction with a situation or with what you have
achieved, so that you stop trying to improve or change things - used
to show disapproval
excited because you have achieved something
flush with
when you achieve what you want or intend
success
to decide that something is true after considering all the information
conclude
you have
Word
competition
Definition
a situation in which people or organizations try to be more
successful than other people or organizations
the organ inside your head that controls how you think, feel, and
brain
move
special attention or importance
emphasis
bioterrorism the use of biological weapons to obtain political demands such as
making a government do something
to make something difficult to know or understand
obscure
ordinary and uninteresting and without any imagination
pedestrian
to the same degree or amount
equally
an amount, usually small, of a quality or feeling
element
done deliberately and usually intended to cause harm
intentional
serious physical or mental pain
suffering
tremendously powerfully, hugely
destabilizing making something such as a government or economy become less
successful or powerful, or less able to control events
something or someone who is powerful and has a lot of influence
force
on the way things happen
happening before the natural or proper time
premature
a person, event, or thing that makes something happen
cause
a substance which contains a weak form of the bacteria or virus
vaccine
that causes a disease and is used to protect people from that disease
to give someone a medicine or medical treatment
administer
if something is routinely done, it is done as a normal part of a
routinely
process or job ￚ synonym regularly
an infectious illness in which you have a fever and small red spots
measles
on your face and body. People often have measles when they are
children.
easy to notice or understand
obvious
point of view a particular way of thinking about or judging a situation
complicated and needing a lot of skill
fancy
very nearly a particular thing
virtual
smorgasbord a large variety of different things
re-emergence when something begins to be known or noticed again
the act of realizing and accepting that something is true or
recognition
important
someone who is vulnerable can be easily harmed or hurt
vulnerable
communicable a communicable disease can be passed on to other people
Word
realize
Definition
to know and understand something, or suddenly begin to
understand it
without being affected or influenced by something
regardless
the place or situation in which something begins to exist
origins
origin of
to do something that produces an effect or change in something or
affect
in someone's situation
appearing to have a particular quality, when this may or may not be
seemingly
true
be assured of if you are assured of something, you will definitely get it or achieve
it
a place or situation where something bad or harmful develops
breeding
ground
consisting of or including many different kinds of things or people,
varied
especially in a way that seems interesting
something that causes a lot of harm or suffering
scourge