新闻万花筒：VOA视角之加州爆发接种麻疹疫苗纠纷

Spiiker新闻万花筒，VOA新闻，带您看世界，听世界，

感受世界的点点滴滴。

练听力，提能力，小编与您共努力！

California Measles Outbreak Roils Vaccination Disputes

Sandy Roffman is not vaccinating her daughter, Brooklyn, but not by choice.

“We were told that she was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia," Roffman said, "which requires two years of very, very heavy chemotherapy” — and that completely wipes out her immune system. All vaccinations for Brooklyn had to be suspended.

“I feel incensed that there are people out there who are deliberately exposing their children to other illnesses," Roffman said. "I have spent the last 2-1/2 years of my life with a chronically ill child. It’s unfathomable to me that, A, anyone would deliberately put their child in harm and, B, would put the rest of the world at harm.”

Roffman is referring to parents who choose not to vaccinate their children. Eric Handler, public health officer of Orange County, California, said a measles outbreak that originated in the Disneyland theme park has now spread. In Orange County alone, more than 30 people have contracted measles, and a third of them are children.

“The children, the majority, were not vaccinated,” he said.

Handler said some parents are afraid their children will get autism from vaccines, something that’s been disproven in the medical community. He points to the Internet as a source of much of the fears among parents.

Parents like Dotty Hagmier who don’t vaccinate their children say they are acting in the children's best interests.

“There’s also many risks if they get the vaccine ... versus getting an illness they could actually recover from,” she said.

Such parents, Handler said, "are making a decision not to vaccinate based on information that they get from the Internet and from their peers. And we see pockets of affluent areas choosing to not get vaccinated, but this is not unique to Orange County.”

In California, students are required to be vaccinated when they enter school, but parents who don’t vaccinate their children can get a waiver called a Personal Belief Exemption. State records show that in child care facilities for 2- to 4-year-olds, there are more Personal Belief Exemptions in private schools than public schools.

Roffman wanted to enroll her daughter in a school that specialized in art but didn't because of the number of unvaccinated children there.

“We’re talking about children of educated artists attending this school [that] has an 11 percent Personal Belief Exemption [rate]," she said. "This is the school that we want to send our child to but we can’t."

But there has been a slight decrease in the number of Personal Belief Exemptions issued in California schools. Handler attributed that to a state law enacted last year that requires parents to talk to a health care provider who has to sign off on the waiver. He stressed that it is in the best interest of the child and the community to vaccinate children.

词汇解析

defend

难度：4星核心词汇，属常用3000词

英汉解释

v.防守；防护；辩护

参考例句

用作动词 (v.)

Some players are better at defending.

有些运动员较擅长打防卫。

************************

altitude

难度：3星常用词汇，属常用6000词

英汉解释

n.高度；海拔；高地

参考例句

用作名词 (n.)

We are flying at an altitude of 20000 feet.

我们的飞行高度是20000英尺。

************************

stimulate

难度：4星核心词汇，属常用3000词

英汉解释

vt.刺激；激励；鼓舞

vi.起刺激作用

参考例句

用作及物动词 (vt.)

Light stimulates plant growth.

光会刺激植物生长。

I hoped my warning would stimulate her to greater efforts.

我希望我的告诫会促使她作出更大的努力。

************************

federal

难度：3星常用词汇，属常用6000词

英汉解释

adj.联邦制的；联邦政府的；同盟的

n.联邦主义者；同盟盟友

参考例句

用作形容词 (adj.)

Switzerland is a federal republic.

瑞士是联邦制的共和国。

Expenditures by the Federal Government have been steadily pared.

联邦政府的开支正在逐渐削减。

************************

resume

难度：4星核心词汇，属常用3000词

英汉解释

v.重新开始；再继续

n.简历；履历；摘要

参考例句

用作动词 (v.)

We resumed our work after a rest.

休息之后我们重新开始工作。

用作名词 (n.)

I enclosed my resume in my letter.

我在信里附上了我的简历。

************************

incident

难度：4星核心词汇，属常用3000词

英汉解释

n.事变；事件；插曲

adj.难免的；附带的

参考例句

用作名词 (n.)

The police are connecting this incident with last week's terrorist bombing.

警方认为这次事件和上周的恐怖分子爆炸事件有关。

用作形容词 (adj.)

There are many evils incident to human society.

人类社会有很多罪恶。

************************

personnel

难度：3星常用词汇，属常用6000词

英汉解释

n.职员；人事部门

参考例句

用作名词 (n.)

The personnel are not happy to change these rules.

全体工作人员对改变这些规定很不高兴。

For more information about the job, please contact the personnel manager.

要了解更多工作详情,请和人事部经理联系。

See more information, you can visit us

英语口语测试  http://www.spiiker.com/daily/

在线学英语口语 http://www.spiiker.com/english-plaza.jsp