ESL Podcast 431 - Health in Developing Countries

developing country - a country with low income, little industry, and many health problems compared to other, richer countries

She has spent years living in developing countries all over the world.

healthcare - the system and practice of caring for people who are sick and injured

Healthcare is very expensive in the United States, so many poor people don't have enough money to see a doctor when they are sick.

acute - severe; very serious, strong, and important

Fritz was in the hospital for two weeks because he had an acute infection.

malnutrition - malnourishment; not having enough healthy food, so that one weighs too little and has many health problems

There is a lot of malnutrition in that village because there is nothing to eat but white rice.

infectious disease - an illness that can be passed from one person to another

When restaurant workers wash their hands before touching food, they are less likely to share infectious diseases with customers.

preventable - something that can be avoided; something that will not happen if certain other things are done

The deaths in the fire would have been preventable if the exit doors hadn't been locked.

spread - expansion; the way that something affects more and larger areas over time; growth

The spread of cell phones has changed the way that people communicate with each other.

AIDS - acquired immune deficiency syndrome; a disease that usually causes death because one's body cannot fight well against other illnesses and infection

People who have AIDS have to take very good care of themselves so that they don't catch a cold.

HIV - human immunodeficiency virus; the very small thing that enters a human body and causes AIDS after a few years

Can pregnant mothers pass HIV to their unborn children?

no question about it - a phrase used to give emphasis and show that one is 100% certain about what one is saying, or that something is definitely true

There's no question about it. This summer is the hottest summer that we've had in years!

malaria - an illness in many warm tropical countries that is caused by a type of mosquito (a small flying insect) biting a person

The guide told us that if we don't want to get malaria, we needed to cover our skin so that mosquitoes can't bite us.

tuberculosis - a serious disease that affects the lungs, making people cough and have difficulty breathing

The man sitting next to me on the plane was coughing so much that I started to worry that he might have tuberculosis.

measles - a disease that causes a fever (high body temperature) and small red spots on a person's skin

Many people get the measles when they are young children.

immunization - protection against getting a disease; an injection (shot) or something that is swallowed to prepare one's body to fight against a disease in the future so that one never gets sick from it

The baby received an immunization against hepatitis.

blood - the red liquid that flows through one's body

His blood type is B+.