South Africa: UN health agency sends experts to help battle against COVID-19

5 August 2020

Health UN

new “surge team” of leading UN health experts is on its way to South Africa to ramp up the COVID-19 response there, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Wednesday.

ramp up ：V to increase or cause to increase 增加; 使增加

ramp /ræmp/  

1.a slope that joins two parts of a road, path, building, etc. when one is higher than the other 斜坡；坡道•Ramps should be provided for wheelchair users. 应该给轮椅使用者提供坡道。

2.•a freeway exit ramp 高速公路的出口坡道

3.a slope or set of steps that can be moved, used for loading a vehicle or getting on or off a plane （装车或上下飞机的）活动梯，活动坡道·a loading ramp 装货用的活动坡道

4ˌramp sth←→ˈupto make sth increase in amount 使…的数量增加.

5.非正式用语--敲诈，诈骗（尤指涉及股价诈涨的诈骗和敲诈）

With the southernmost country on the continent, now among the top five of the world’s most affected, WHO underscored that it is critical to strengthen its COVID-19 response.

Underscore和underline都提及过，有强调、下划线之意

“At this time, when the COVID-19 epidemic in South Africa is spreading rapidly, it is important that we work together to intensify our fight against the virus”, said Owen Kaluwa, WHO Representative for South Africa. 

intensify v. /ɪnˈtensɪfaɪ/  to increase in degree or strength; to make sth increase in degree or strength （使）加强，增强，加剧 • Violence intensified during the night. 在夜间暴力活动加剧了。

To help manage the coronavirus outbreak, WHO will be deploying 43 experts from various fields, including seasoned infectious disease epidemiologist and public health expert, David Heymann, who headed the response to the 2003 epidemic of the closely-related viral respiratory disease, SARS.

deploy v.   /dɪˈplɔɪ/  

1.( technical 术语 ) to move soldiers or weapons into a position where they are ready for military action 部署，调度（军队或武器）•2 000 troops were deployed in the area. 那个地区部署了2 000人的部队。

2.( formal ) to use sth effectively 有效地利用；调动 •to deploy arguments/resources 利用论据╱资源

epidemiologist /ˌepɪˌdiːmiˈɒlədʒɪst/：流行病学家

WHO will be complementing scaled-up national and provincial responses to minimize the spread and impact of COVID-19.

scaled-up /'skeild'ʌp/ 比例增大的

“Our collective efforts are necessary to identify cases, isolate and provide care, follow up contacts and fully implement physical distancing and other key public health measure”, said the WHO official. 

Nuts and bolts

nuts and bolts ：the essential or practical details 必不可少的细节; 实际的细节·In practice, there is no need to be concerned with the nuts and bolts of the IBM Cognos 8 Web Services. 在实践中，不需要细究IBM Cognos 8 Web服务的具体细节。

WHO will fund the international surge team and South Africa will provide administrative resources. The team will be jointly led by WHO Regional Director for Africa, Matshidiso Moeti, and Executive Director of the agency’s Health Emergencies Programme, Michael Ryan, who will work virtually from Brazzaville, Congo, and Geneva respectively, to support the experts on the ground.

Brazzaville /'bræzəvil; 'brɑ:-/ n. 布拉柴维尔（刚果首都）

on the ground：在地上，当场，在决斗

“Dr. Moeti and Dr. Ryan have become familiar and trusted figures in the fight against COVID-19”, said South African Minister of Health, Zweli Mkhize. “They have been supporting and complementing our national efforts and we have had very fruitful and honest discussions with them”. 

Before their deployments in the provinces of Eastern Cape, Free State, Gauteng, Kwazulu Natal and Mpumalanga, the delegation completed an initial period of quarantine and testing.

“These provinces have been identified as the ones needing the most urgent support where the first team can make the most impact”, according to General Health Director Sandile Buthelezi.

Tasks ahead

The surge team aims to contribute to national efforts, including in surveillance and streamlining of epidemiological systems.

surveillance n.  /sɜːˈveɪləns/  [ U ] the act of carefully watching a person suspected of a crime or a place where a crime may be committed （对犯罪嫌疑人或可能发生犯罪的地方的）监视

streamline v. /ˈstriːmlaɪn/  

1.to give sth a smooth even shape so that it can move quickly and easily through air or water 使成流线型 •The cars all have a new streamlined design. 这些汽车都是流线型新款。

2.to make a system, an organization, etc. work better, especially in a way that saves money 使（系统、机构等）效率更高；（尤指）使增产节约•The production process is to be streamlined. 生产流程还需改进。

Epidemiological /ˌepɪˌdiːmiəˈlɒdʒɪkl/  流行病学的

It intends to improve case management by promoting WHO’s global COVID-19 response guidelines and reduce the burden on hospitals by increasing community buy-in to assure greater compliance with public health measures.

compliance n. /kəmˈplaɪəns/  ~ (with sth) the practice of obeying rules or requests made by people in authority 服从；顺从；遵从

‘Key priority’

WHO’s Regional Office for Africa has made supporting South Africa “a key priority”, according said Dr Moeti, who affirmed that working together “will help flatten the curve and save lives”. 

“Our solidarity which spans the globe is a model partnership for an effective response”, she concluded. “United we will defeat COVID-19.”

span /spæn/  

名词 1.持续时间•I worked with him over a span of six years. 我和他共事达六年之久。 •Small children have a short attention span . 幼儿注意力持续时间短。2.~ (of sth) a range or variety of sth 范围；包括的种类•Managers have a wide span of control. 经理的职权范围很大。3.（桥或拱的）墩距，跨距，跨度；4.宽度；翼展

动词 1.to last all through a period of time or to cover the whole of it 持续；贯穿•His acting career spanned 55 years. 他的演艺生涯长达55年。2.to include a large area or a lot of things 包括（广大地区）；涵盖（多项内容）•The operation, which spanned nine countries, resulted in 200 arrests. 这次行动涉及九个国家，逮捕了200人。 3. to stretch right across sth, from one side to the other 横跨；跨越

原文链接：https://news.un.org/en/story/2020/08/1069582