Deadly Diseases Rise as War Limits Vaccinations in Ethiopia

2022-09-25

00:00 / 00:00
复读宝 RABC v8.0beta 复读机按钮使用说明
播放/暂停
停止
播放时:倒退3秒/复读时:回退AB段
播放时:快进3秒/复读时:前进AB段
拖动:改变速度/点击:恢复正常速度1.0
拖动改变复读暂停时间
点击:复读最近5秒/拖动:改变复读次数
设置A点
设置B点
取消复读并清除AB点
播放一行
停止播放
后退一行
前进一行
复读一行
复读多行
变速复读一行
变速复读多行
LRC
TXT
大字
小字
滚动
全页
1
  • Deadly diseases like measles, tetanus and whooping cough are on the rise in Ethiopia's Tigray area.
  • 2
  • Vaccination rates have fallen sharply there during the almost two-year-long civil war.
  • 3
  • The percentage of children receiving usual vaccinations has fallen below 10 percent this year, data from the Tigray Health Bureau shows.
  • 4
  • That has undone years of government efforts to increase vaccination rates.
  • 5
  • "The hopes of the children in the region to grow healthier and happier were snatched away in the blink of an eye," the agency wrote in a letter this month to the international vaccine group Gavi.
  • 6
  • The letter said attacks on Tigray by Ethiopian government forces led to supply shortages that reduced the number of vaccinations.
  • 7
  • The Tigray agency also wrote that power outages have disrupted vaccine supply chains.
  • 8
  • The agency added that it is difficult for people in rural areas to get to health centers.
  • 9
  • A ceasefire from March to late August made it possible for foreign medical aid to enter the area.
  • 10
  • But humanitarian access has been suspended since fighting began again, U.N. human rights experts said Monday.
  • 11
  • The experts said in a report that they had reason to believe that the denial of access to healthcare and other aid by federal officials is a crime against humanity.
  • 12
  • Ethiopian government officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment about the U.N. report.
  • 13
  • The government has denied blocking aid and says the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), the party leading the area government, is responsible for the conflict.
  • 14
  • The fighting has killed thousands of civilians in Tigray.
  • 15
  • Health Minister Lia Tadesse said vaccines had been provided to Tigray this year.
  • 16
  • She said that more were ready to be provided once conditions improved.
  • 17
  • In its letter, the Tigray Health Bureau said the percentage of children receiving the full dosage of vaccines had dropped to very low levels.
  • 18
  • Vaccination rates against several diseases including whooping cough, tetanus, and hepatitis B dropped from 99.3 percent in 2020 to 36 percent in 2021.
  • 19
  • This year, the vaccination rate is seven percent.
  • 20
  • The rate across Ethiopia was 65 percent in 2021, said the U.N. children's agency UNICEF.
  • 21
  • The letter also reports a drop in percentages of children being vaccinated against tuberculosis and measles.
  • 22
  • The vaccination rate was above 90 percent in 2020 and is below 10 percent this year.
  • 23
  • The letter said measles have spread in 10 of Tigray's 35 districts since the war began.
  • 24
  • The nonprofit organization Gavi pays for and ships vaccines to developing countries.
  • 25
  • It said it had provided measles and COVID-19 vaccines during the ceasefire in Tigray, but that some activities had been suspended since fighting began again.
  • 26
  • Ethiopia's Lia said 860,000 doses of measles vaccines were sent to Tigray last December and more doses were provided on April 2.
  • 27
  • And she said the U.N. World Food Program (WFP) is delaying a planned transport of humanitarian aid into Tigray.
  • 28
  • But WFP spokesperson Claire Nevill said the agency was waiting on approval from Ethiopia's government.
  • 29
  • Without the clearances, she said, "lifesaving humanitarian supplies, including food, nutrition and medical items, will have to be on hold."
  • 30
  • I'm Dan Novak.
  • 1
  • Deadly diseases like measles, tetanus and whooping cough are on the rise in Ethiopia's Tigray area. Vaccination rates have fallen sharply there during the almost two-year-long civil war.
  • 2
  • The percentage of children receiving usual vaccinations has fallen below 10 percent this year, data from the Tigray Health Bureau shows. That has undone years of government efforts to increase vaccination rates.
  • 3
  • "The hopes of the children in the region to grow healthier and happier were snatched away in the blink of an eye," the agency wrote in a letter this month to the international vaccine group Gavi.
  • 4
  • The letter said attacks on Tigray by Ethiopian government forces led to supply shortages that reduced the number of vaccinations. The Tigray agency also wrote that power outages have disrupted vaccine supply chains. The agency added that it is difficult for people in rural areas to get to health centers.
  • 5
  • A ceasefire from March to late August made it possible for foreign medical aid to enter the area. But humanitarian access has been suspended since fighting began again, U.N. human rights experts said Monday.
  • 6
  • The experts said in a report that they had reason to believe that the denial of access to healthcare and other aid by federal officials is a crime against humanity.
  • 7
  • Ethiopian government officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment about the U.N. report.
  • 8
  • The government has denied blocking aid and says the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), the party leading the area government, is responsible for the conflict. The fighting has killed thousands of civilians in Tigray.
  • 9
  • Measles outbreaks
  • 10
  • Health Minister Lia Tadesse said vaccines had been provided to Tigray this year. She said that more were ready to be provided once conditions improved.
  • 11
  • In its letter, the Tigray Health Bureau said the percentage of children receiving the full dosage of vaccines had dropped to very low levels.
  • 12
  • Vaccination rates against several diseases including whooping cough, tetanus, and hepatitis B dropped from 99.3 percent in 2020 to 36 percent in 2021. This year, the vaccination rate is seven percent.
  • 13
  • The rate across Ethiopia was 65 percent in 2021, said the U.N. children's agency UNICEF.
  • 14
  • The letter also reports a drop in percentages of children being vaccinated against tuberculosis and measles. The vaccination rate was above 90 percent in 2020 and is below 10 percent this year.
  • 15
  • The letter said measles have spread in 10 of Tigray's 35 districts since the war began.
  • 16
  • The nonprofit organization Gavi pays for and ships vaccines to developing countries. It said it had provided measles and COVID-19 vaccines during the ceasefire in Tigray, but that some activities had been suspended since fighting began again.
  • 17
  • Ethiopia's Lia said 860,000 doses of measles vaccines were sent to Tigray last December and more doses were provided on April 2. And she said the U.N. World Food Program (WFP) is delaying a planned transport of humanitarian aid into Tigray.
  • 18
  • But WFP spokesperson Claire Nevill said the agency was waiting on approval from Ethiopia's government.
  • 19
  • Without the clearances, she said, "lifesaving humanitarian supplies, including food, nutrition and medical items, will have to be on hold."
  • 20
  • I'm Dan Novak.
  • 21
  • Dan Novak adapted this story for VOA Learning English based on reporting by Reuters.
  • 22
  • ____________________________________________________________________
  • 23
  • Words in This Story
  • 24
  • region - n. a part of a country, of the world, etc., that is different or separate from other parts in some way
  • 25
  • snatch - v. to take (something) quickly or eagerly
  • 26
  • in the blink of an eye - n. very quickly
  • 27
  • disrupt - v. to cause something to be unable to continue in the normal way
  • 28
  • access - n. a way of getting near, at, or to something or someone
  • 29
  • dose - n. the amount of a medicine, drug, or vitamin that is taken at one time
  • 30
  • district - n. an area established by a government for official government business
  • 31
  • clearance - n. an official decision saying that someone has permission to do something
  • 32
  • nutrition - n. the process of eating the right kind of food so you can grow properly and be healthy