Health：Dengue fever
【明報專訊】Bill , Pat and MoMo were hiking. Bill noticed that there were mosquito bumps on Pat's skin. He offered her a bottle of mosquito repellent.
Bill: Look at what mosquitoes have done to you! Take this and spray it on your body.
Pat: I don't need mosquito repellent. The bump will clear up on its own. I don't mind being bitten by mosquitoes.
Bill: You can't keep an indifferent attitude towards mosquito bites. We all need to prevent mosquito-borne diseases!
Pat: I saw that in a television commercial. I have been bitten by countless mosquitoes since I was small. Never have I caught Dengue fever (登革熱).
Bill: Dengue fever is not commonly seen in Hong Kong, but it is not rare neither. A total of 22 cases of Dengue fever had been recorded in 2020. Although most of them were imported cases, I bet you wouldn't want to be the local case.
MoMo: Hey what are you doing? Why are you putting on all your long-sleeved t-shirt? It's blazingly hot today!
Pat: I am not catching the Dengue fever!
MoMo: I don't think it is a good idea to get heatstroke either...
◆Gear up
Dengue virus are endemic in Southeast Asia. Can you name some of the Southeast Asia countries?
(Suggested answers on next text)
■Glossary
spray(v) 噴
indifferent (adj) 漠不關心的
attitude (n) 態度
countless (adj) 無數的
[Smarties' Power English 第314期]
Animal：Giant Pacific octopus
【明報專訊】We all know what an octopus is - a sea animal with eight arms. B... 詳情
