“Bird Flu Blues - Part 2”

Background

Dr. David Nabarro

Dr. David Nabarro (born in 1949),

works as the Senior UN System

Coordinator for Avian and Human

Influenza at United Nations

Headquarters in New York. He has been

seconded to this position from the World

Health Organization.

Having had a good experience with helping

third world countries in the field of medical

care, he then took up the post of Chief

Health and Population Adviser, at the ODA

London Office in 1990, and moved on to

become Director of Human Development (as

well as Chief Health Adviser) as ODA was

transformed to the Department for

International Development in 1997.

Nabarro joined WHO in January 1999, as Project Manager, Roll Back Malaria, then moved to the Office of the Director-General, as Executive Director, from March 2000. He transferred to the Sustainable Development and Healthy Environments cluster in 2003.

He was appointed Representative of the Director General for Health Action in Crises in July 2003. Since then he has been responsible for taking forward efforts to improve WHO's performance in crisis settings, with an emphasis on preparedness, response and recovery.

Bird Flu

More dangerous than climate change or glo

bal terrorism, according to many experts, is th

e possibility that the world is facing a devastat

ing flu pandemic. One such pandemic, in 191

8, killed as many as 100 million people.

Will the Avian Influenza virus now plaguing s

everal Asian countries spread rapidly to all parts

of the work? Can it be stopped, or will it be the

most cataclysmic event of our times? What is the

international strategy to fight it?

These issues are explored in depth in this editi

on of World Chronicle with the leader of global e

fforts to stop this bird flu, Dr. David Nabarro, the

UN System Influenza Coordinator.

Words and Expressions

pandemic

A pandemic is an occurrence of a disease that affects many people over a very wide area. e.g. They feared a new cholera pandemic.

imminent

If you say that something is imminent, especially something unpleasant, you mean it is almost certain to happen very soon. e.g. There appeared no imminent danger.

anarchy

chaos； If you describe a situation as anarchy, you mean that nobody seems to be paying any attention to rules or laws. e.g. Civil war and famine sent the nation plunging into anarchy.

containment

control; The containment of something dangerous or unpleasant is the act or process of keeping it under control within a particular area or place. e.g. Fire crews are hoping they can achieve full containment of the fire before the winds pick up.

disperse

When something disperses or when you disperse it, it spreads over a wide area. e.g. The oil appeared to be dispersing.

meaty

You can describe a part of someone's body as meaty if it is big and strong. e.g. He looked up and down the corridor, meaty hands resting on his thighs.

superb

excellent, outstanding; If something is superb, its quality is very good indeed.

e.g. The waters are crystal clear and offer a superb opportunity for swimming.

recommendation

A recommendation of something is the suggestion that someone should have or use it because it is good. e.g. The best way of finding a solicitor is through personal recommendation.

stockpile

A stockpile of things is a large quantity of them that have been stored for future use. e.g. The two leaders also approved treaties to cut stockpiles of chemical weapons.

antibiotics

Antibiotics are medical drugs used to kill bacteria and treat infections. e.g. Your doctor may prescribe a course of antibiotics.

laissez-faire

Laissez-faire is the policy which is based on the idea that governments and the law should not interfere with business, finance, or the conditions of people's working lives.

catalyst

You can describe a person or thing that causes a change or event to happen as a catalyst. e.g. I very much hope that this case will prove to be a catalyst for change.

scenario

If you talk about a likely or possible scenario, you are talking about the way in which a situation may develop.

e.g. If the vessel is holed close to the water line, there could be two alternative scenarios,

consortium

A consortium is a group of people or firms who have agreed to co-operate with each other. e.g. The consortium includes some of the biggest building contractors in Britain.

disruptive

To be disruptive means to prevent something from continuing or operating in a normal way. e.g. Alcohol can produce violent, disruptive behavior.

quarantine

If people or animals are quarantined, they are stopped from having contact with other people or animals.

e.g. Dogs have to be quarantined for six months before they'll let them in.

veterinary

Veterinary is used to describe the work of a person whose job is to treat sick or injured animals, or to describe the medical treatment of animals. e.g. It was decided that our veterinary screening of horses at events should be continued.