week1 茲卡病毒

Zica virus: Health minister to meet WHO officials

MANGALURU: As international health officials has announced a special meeting to discuss the situation arising out of Zika virus is in the Americas, the State Health Officials will meet representatives of World Health Organisation (WHO) on Friday to discuss screening protocols required at airports to prevent entry of the deadly virus, suspected to have caused outbreak of microcephaly in Brazil.

Health minister UT Khader told TOI: I had a discussion about Zika virus with WHO representative on Thursday. I will meet them again on Friday to understand about the screening protocols at airport since very little is known to us. We will go according to the advice given by the WHO. If screening is required, we will have experts deployed at airports to screen flyers exhibiting symptoms of Zika virus infection and help stop further spread of the deadly virus.

Zika virus transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito, a vector which transmits dengue and chikungunya, has seen Brazilian women deliver babies with microcephaly - abnormally small head and incomplete brain development. But physician Dr B Srinivas Kakkilaya says there is no need to panic as the Zica virus is asymptomatic in 80% of the cases and in only 20% it causes symptoms like mild rash, mild fever and mild joint pain. ``The only risk group pregnant women in the first three months for whom tests have to developed to screen for Zica virus to see whether the growth of baby is normal,'' he said.

He also said the health minister instead of trying to screen people at airports - most of whom will be asymptomatic - should concentrate on eliminating breeding sites of mosquitoes especially Aedes aegypti mosquito. ``Chile and Canada are at zero risk since the Aedes mosquito is not found there,'' he noted.

 He also pointed out that since there are reports that the first case was confirmed in South East Asia in 1966, and in the late 1970s it was documented in Pakistan, India, Malaysia and Indonesia, the virus may be dormant in Indian population. ``what is the possibility that it is not already in Indian population,'' he questioned. Regarding Zica virus causing Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS), Dr Kakkilaya said even in Mangaluru we have GBS cases. ``But we do not know whether it is related to Zica virus,'' he said.

Pan American Health organisation says that an increase in GBS has been observed in areas where a Zika virus epidemic has been documented like French Polynesia and Brazil.

What are the symptoms? The most common symptoms of Zika virus infection are mild fever and skin rash, usually accompanied by conjunctivitis, muscle or joint pain, and general malaise that begins 2-7 days after the bite of an infected mosquito.

One out of four infected people develops symptoms of the disease. Among those who do, the disease is usually mild and can last 2-7 days. Symptoms are similar to those of dengue or chikungunya, which are transmitted by the same type of mosquito. Neurological and autoimmune complications are infrequent. - Sources -WHO.

Who international health officials

What has announced a special meeting to discuss the situation arising out of Zika virus is in the Americas, the State Health Officials will meet representatives of World Health Organisation (WHO)

When Friday

Where Friday

Why discuss screening protocols required at airports to prevent entry of the deadly virus, suspected to have caused outbreak of microcephaly in Brazil

How meeting

Keywords

1 representative 代表

2 protocol 草案；協議

3 deploy 部署

4 flyer 飛行物

5 vector 傳染媒介

6 asymptomatic 無症狀的

7 dormant 潛伏的

8 epidemic 傳染病

9 conjunctivitis 結膜炎

10 autoimmune 自體免疫的

week3-twelve night

Film Triggers Debate on Plight of Taiwan’s Homeless Dogs                      

6:31 am HKT
Dec 13, 2013

A new documentary about the plight of animals in Taiwan’s shelters has sparked a public discussion about the treatment of stray dogs and cats on the island, prompting the government to amend its policies.

“Twelve Nights,” shot almost entirely inside a government-run animal shelter in southern Taiwan, follows the fate of several stray dogs, starting from their initial capture on the streets. After 12 days in the shelter, the animals are destroyed, have died of disease, or, if they are lucky, end up in the arms of a new owner.

Although the problem of street dogs isn’t a fresh one in Taiwan, the movie has attracted a throng of animal lovers. As of the beginning of this week, “Twelve Nights” had pulled in more 30 million New Taiwan dollars (US$1 million) since its release on Nov. 29, according to the film’s distributor, a considerable amount for a documentary in Taiwan.

The film opens with a black-and-white puppy named Jumpy prancing happily in a well-manicured neighborhood and other harmless-looking dogs wandering the streets.

The scene quickly changes. Animals — including a kitten and a basket full of puppies — are jerked and tossed around by workers as they are taken to the shelter.

At the shelter, the camera pans across rows of rusty metal cages crowded with dogs, some of which try to gnaw their way out of confinement. Feeble dogs curl up in the corners, watching their peers being dragged around the shelter by their metal collars.

The film shows many dogs entering the shelter looking healthy but later falling ill or dying due to the rampant transmission of canine distemper and other diseases inside the facility.

Some critics of the film say producer Giddens Ko, a popular author and filmmaker, should have used his influence to highlight social problems affecting humans before helping stray animals. It’s the first documentary produced by Mr. Ko, whose 2011 coming-of-age comedy “You Are the Apple of My Eye”, which he directed, found commercial success and critical acclaim.

“I will be the first to admit to my own imperfections,” Mr. Ko, the owner of a rescued labrador, said in an interview. “However, I had no idea that I had to be a flawless saint and make sure all the children in the world have enough to eat before I can speak up for animals.” He said that he had also been called a hypocrite because he’s a meat-eater, and intends to remain so.

“I have no good rebuttal about my meat-eating habit, except to say, ‘Who set the rule that one has be a perfect vegetarian saint before he can save animals?’ ”

The film has done what Mr. Ko and the movie’s director, who goes by just the name of Raye, say it set out to do — stir up discussion about Taiwan’s stray animals and influence the government to address the problem.

Many Facebook users have joined Mr. Ko’s cause by adding the movie’s logo to their profile pictures. Several veterinarians have also publicly expressed their indignation over how the shelters are managed.

Raye said that her goal isn’t to condemn the shelter workers, because they, too, are victims of the system. The purpose of the film, she said, is to influence policy makers with more effective solutions on reducing the stray-animal population, including adoption, laws requiring pet owners to implant microchips in their pets for ID purposes, and neutering or spaying animals.

Since the film’s release, Taiwan’s Council of Agriculture has announced plans to implement new programs starting next year to promote responsible pet ownership, such as additional subsidies for neutering, free vaccinations, and gifts for animals that are adopted from a public shelter.

Taiwan’s public animal shelters took in more than 11,400 animals last year, during which time 50% were destroyed and 29% were placed in new homes, according to the Council of Agriculture. (Most of the remaining 21% died while in the shelter.)

“We understand that most people who watch this movie already like dogs, and those who should watch it may opt not to,” Raye said. “But that’s fine, because we believe the movie will start a domino effect [of awareness] that begins with the animal lovers.”

Raye, who ended up adopting Jumpy just before he was slated for lethal injection, said that the film’s box office is important because “each ticket represents one person who wants to see the system changed.”

Mr. Ko and Raye said that all proceeds from the movie will be donated to promote animal-protection awareness in Taiwan.

Who-A new documentary about the plight of animals in Taiwan’s shelters

What-sparked a public discussion about the treatment of stray dogs and cats on the island

When-2013

Where-Taiwan

Why-prompted the government to amend its policies

How-Not mentioned

Keyword

1.plight 苦境

2.stray 流浪的

3.distributor 分發者

4.prance 騰躍

5.manicured 修剪整齊的

6.jerk 扭；猛拉

7.veterinarian 獸醫

8.condemn 譴責

9.neuter 閹割

10.vaccination 接種疫苗

week2-Myanmar landslide

99 killed in landslide at Myanmar mining site

PUBLISHED

NOV 23, 2015, 5:00 AM SGT

Dozens of shanty huts crushed; death toll likely to rise with 100 more still missing

YANGON • Nearly 100 bodies have been pulled from a landslide near a jade mine in Myanmar's war-torn northern Kachin state and an estimated 100 people are still missing, a rescue official said.

The landslide happened in the early hours of Saturday in Hpakant, an area that produces some of the world's highest-quality jade but where the mines and dump sites for debris are rife with hazards and landslides are not uncommon, though rarely this deadly.

The disaster happened at about 3.30am local time (5am Singapore time) and lasted just a couple of minutes, said Mr Zaw Moe Htet, a gems trader whose village overlooks the devastated area.

"Even people living in villages farther away could hear the cries of those who rushed to the scene," he told Agence France-Presse.

Video footage of the area shot on Saturday shows men carrying several bodies slung in blankets as a crowd in a dusty plain near the village of Sai Tung watched.

Those killed were thought to have been mainly itinerant miners, who scratch a living scavenging through mountains of waste rubble dumped by mechanical diggers used by mining companies at the centre of a secretive multi-billion-dollar jade industry.

The massive landslide crushed dozens of shanty huts, home to an unknown number of people.

The state-run Global New Light of Myanmar newspaper said yesterday that many of the miners were sleeping in the huts when the landslide occurred.

An official with the Hpakant Township Fire Brigade told Reuters by telephone yesterday that 99 bodies had been recovered by late yesterday afternoon and that this number was likely to rise.

"We are sure the death toll will go up since many are still missing," he said.

The official, who asked not to be named because he was not authorised to speak to the media, said the accident occurred near a mining site controlled by Triple One Jade Mining.

It was unclear as to what triggered the landslide in the remote and mountainous region, which is almost entirely off-limits to foreigners.

A lawmaker also confirmed the figure. Mr Zaw Htay, a senior official from the President's Office, said rescue efforts were being carried out by the local authorities.

Officials said they have little hope of pulling people out from under the rubble alive.

"We are seeing only dead bodies," said Ms Nilar Myint, an official with the local administrative authorities in Hpakant. She added that because the men were mostly migrant workers, the authorities were struggling to identify those killed.

Myanmar's jade industry is extremely opaque and much of the jade mined in Hpakant is believed to be smuggled to China, where the stone is highly valued.

According to researchers from environmental advocacy group Global Witness, the value of jade production in Myanmar is estimated to have been as much as US$31 billion (S$44 billion) last year.

Many of the jade mines are connected to government officials, members of armed ethnic groups and cronies with close ties to the former military government, the group found.

Safety measures at the mines and surrounding dumping sites are minimal.

"These crony-owned mining companies piled this giant mine dump near the village without any consideration for the safety of the village," the fire official said.

Who 100 people

What Nearly 100 bodies have been pulled from a landslide near a jade mine in Myanmar's war-torn northern Kachin state 

When Nov 23,2015

Where Yangon,Myanmar

Why landslide

How Not mentioned

keywords

1.shanty 棚屋

2.depris 殘片

3.rife with 充斥著

4.sling in (slung in) 扔進

5.itinerant 流動的

6.scavenge 在...中尋找有用之物

7.administrative 管理的

8.smuggle 走私；私運

9.dump 突然落下

10.crony 密友