Ebola is spreading rapidly across parts of east Africa. The deadly disease, which kills approximately half of those it infects, has claimed the lives of at least 240 people since the outbreak began in Ituri province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo earlier this month. The virus has already spread to other regions in eastern DRC and the Ugandan capital Kampala.
Public health officials are scrambling to contain the virus in one of the world's most challenging environments. Ituri province, the epicentre of the crisis, serves as a mining hub where thousands work in close proximity daily, and remains a conflict zone with ongoing fighting between rebel groups. Medical facilities are modest, while waves of displaced people are being forced into overcrowded camps, making transmission control increasingly difficult. This outbreak is the first major test of global health infrastructure since the US, UK and other western nations slashed humanitarian funding, beginning with the dismantling of USAID. Experts warn that the rapid response capabilities developed during previous Ebola crises have been stripped back so severely that they are barely fit for purpose.
Sources: theguardian.com
The words in bold are from the article.
| 1. approximately | a. cut drastically |
| 2. epicentre | b. spread |
| 3. challenging | c. systems |
| 4. modest | d. destroying |
| 5. transmission | e. abilities |
| 6. dismantling | f. about |
| 7. slashed | g. focus |
| 8. capabilities | h. demanding |
| 9. severely | i. basic |
| 10. infrastructure | j. greatly |
1.f 2.g 3.h 4.i 5.b 6.d 7.a 8.e 9.j 10.c