美国有线新闻 CNN 致命流感肆虐美国 揭秘四大致命原因

 

Which of these "seasons" typically coincides with fall and winter in the U.S.?

Baseball season, hurricane season, flu season, or carnival¹ season?

The only one of these seasons that starts in the fall and continues through winter is the flu season.

AZUZ: It's closed down schools in at least 12 states. It set a record for the number of cases in New York state. It's the first time in 15 years that every state in the continental² U.S. has reported widespread activity during the same week and it's possible that the current flu season that's ravaging³ the country hasn't even peaked yet.

Part of the reason is that this year's flu vaccine⁴ appears to be one of the least effective in recent years, though doctors say people should still get it because it might make the flu less severe. H3N2 is the specific strain of the virus that's making so many people sick. This strain usually causes higher rates of hospitalizations and death.

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: It's always scary when you hear of someone dying from something as common as the flu.

There are four main ways the flu can turn deadly.

The first and most common cause is pneumonia⁵. The influenza⁶ virus can directly cause viral pneumonia. When someone has the flu, it can weaken their immune system so much that another virus or bacteria can enter the lungs. Infected lungs filled with fluid making it difficult to breathe, so oxygen can't get to the rest of the body which can lead to death.

Sepsis is the second way the flu can become lethal⁷, especially in healthy and younger adults and children. Sepsis occurs when a person's immune system goes into overdrive trying to fight the flu. This causes inflammation which can lead to a cascade⁸ of symptoms that ultimately ends in organ failure.

A third way the flu can kill is by increasing your risk of heart attack. Experts say an adult's risk of heart attack increases six-fold in a seven days following a flu diagnosis⁹.

The fourth way the flu can kill is by dehydration¹⁰, particularly among infants and young children. The flu often causes vomiting¹¹ and diarrhea which can quickly become life threatening if fluids aren't replaced in the body.

So, if you get the flu, when should you be worried?

Some people have a higher risks for serious complications from the flu, including the elderly, children under the age of 5, pregnant women and those with chronic¹² health problems.

If this is you, make sure you see a doctor. If you're a healthy older child or adult, watch out for sudden dizziness, severe, persistent¹³ vomiting, difficulty breathing, pain or pressure in the chest or abdomen¹⁴, and flu-like symptoms that improve, then return with a fever or worse cough.

1 carnival   

n.嘉年华会，狂欢，狂欢节，巡回表演

参考例句：

• I got some good shots of the carnival.我有几个狂欢节的精彩镜头。
• Our street puts on a carnival every year.我们街的居民每年举行一次嘉年华会。

2 continental   

adj.大陆的，大陆性的，欧洲大陆的

参考例句：

• A continental climate is different from an insular one.大陆性气候不同于岛屿气候。
• The most ancient parts of the continental crust are 4000 million years old.大陆地壳最古老的部分有40亿年历史。

3 ravaging   

毁坏( ravage的现在分词 )； 蹂躏； 劫掠； 抢劫

参考例句：

• It is believed that in fatigue there is a repeated process of ravaging the material. 据认为，在疲劳中，有一个使材料毁坏的重复过程。
• I was able to capture the lion that was ravaging through town. 我能逮住正在城里肆虐的那头狮子。

4 vaccine   

n.牛痘苗，疫苗；adj.牛痘的，疫苗的

参考例句：

• The polio vaccine has saved millions of lives.脊髓灰质炎疫苗挽救了数以百万计的生命。
• She takes a vaccine against influenza every fall.她每年秋季接种流感疫苗。

5 pneumonia   

n.肺炎

参考例句：

• Cage was struck with pneumonia in her youth.凯奇年轻时得过肺炎。
• Pneumonia carried him off last week.肺炎上星期夺去了他的生命。

6 influenza   

n.流行性感冒，流感

参考例句：

• They took steps to prevent the spread of influenza.他们采取措施
• Influenza is an infectious disease.流感是一种传染病。

7 lethal   

adj.致死的；毁灭性的

参考例句：

• A hammer can be a lethal weapon.铁锤可以是致命的武器。
• She took a lethal amount of poison and died.她服了致命剂量的毒药死了。

8 cascade   

n.小瀑布，喷流；层叠；vi.成瀑布落下

参考例句：

• She watched the magnificent waterfall cascade down the mountainside.她看着壮观的瀑布从山坡上倾泻而下。
• Her hair fell over her shoulders in a cascade of curls.她的卷发像瀑布一样垂在肩上。

9 diagnosis   

n.诊断，诊断结果，调查分析，判断

参考例句：

• His symptoms gave no obvious pointer to a possible diagnosis.他的症状无法作出明确的诊断。
• The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做一次彻底的调查分析。

10 dehydration   

n.脱水，干燥

参考例句：

• He died from severe dehydration.他死于严重脱水。
• The eyes are often retracted from dehydration.眼睛常因脱水而凹陷。

11 vomiting   

吐

参考例句：

• Symptoms include diarrhoea and vomiting. 症状有腹泻和呕吐。
• Especially when I feel seasick, I can't stand watching someone else vomiting." 尤其晕船的时候，看不得人家呕。”

12 chronic   

adj.(疾病)长期未愈的，慢性的；极坏的

参考例句：

• Famine differs from chronic malnutrition.饥荒不同于慢性营养不良。
• Chronic poisoning may lead to death from inanition.慢性中毒也可能由虚弱导致死亡。

13 persistent   

adj.坚持不懈的，执意的；持续的

参考例句：

• Albert had a persistent headache that lasted for three days.艾伯特连续头痛了三天。
• She felt embarrassed by his persistent attentions.他不时地向她大献殷勤，使她很难为情。

14 abdomen   

n.腹，下腹(胸部到腿部的部分)

参考例句：

• How to know to there is ascarid inside abdomen?怎样知道肚子里面有蛔虫？
• He was anxious about an off-and-on pain the abdomen.他因时隐时现的腹痛而焦虑。