Kirkpatrick A F
University of South Florida College of Medicine, Tampa 33612, USA.
Lancet. 1996 Nov 30;348(9040):1489-91. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(96)07376-X.
For over 30 years an embargo by the USA has restricted Cuba's ability to purchase foods and medicines. In 1992, the USA enacted the Cuban Democracy Act (CDA), which "exempted" the sale of medicines from the embargo. However, the implementation of the CDA's requirements and the intensification of the embargo as a result of the passage of the Helms-Burton Act in March, 1996, have undermined the purpose of the medicine exemption. The resultant lack of food and medicine to Cuba contributed to the worst epidemic of neurological disease this century. The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights of the Organization of American States has informed the US Government that such activities violate international law and has requested that the US take immediate steps to exempt food and medicine from the embargo.
三十多年来，美国的禁运限制了古巴购买食品和药品的能力。1992年，美国颁布了《古巴民主法案》（CDA），该法案将药品销售“豁免”于禁运之外。然而，CDA要求的实施以及1996年3月《赫尔姆斯-伯顿法案》通过后禁运的强化，破坏了药品豁免的目的。由此导致古巴缺乏食品和药品，促成了本世纪最严重的神经疾病流行。美洲国家组织美洲人权委员会已告知美国政府，此类行为违反国际法，并要求美国立即采取措施将食品和药品豁免于禁运之外。
