密歇根新闻广播 注射疫苗 你我共同行动起来

I was ten when John Glenn became the first American to orbit the earth fifty-five years ago. We were all mad for science then, and if you'd asked any of the kids I grew up with what we thought life would be like in 2017, we would have been sure we'd have colonies on Mars.

What nobody would have imagined is that state and national public health authorities would instead be forced to launch an “I Vaccinate¹” PR campaign, as they did yesterday to try to persuade parents to vaccinate their children. I knew that some parents are opposed to vaccination² for religious reasons. I am also aware that others believe that vaccination can cause autism, though medical studies seem to have thoroughly³ debunked⁴ those claims.

But we also have many irresponsible people. Turns out that Michigan's child immunization rate is one of the worst in the nation. Monday, when the state officially launched its “I Vaccinate” campaign, Michigan's Department of Health and Human Services revealed that only 54 percent of Michigan children under the age of three are current on all their vaccinations⁵.

Barely a quarter of teenagers are.

This is not only irresponsible, but a health hazard. We have a beautiful and very bright four and a half year old in our family, and there is no way her parents should have to worry about her being exposed to whooping⁶ cough, now usually known as pertussis, or chicken pox, measles⁷, mumps⁸, or rubella. She won't need to be vaccinated⁹, as I was, against smallpox¹⁰.

That disease, which killed and scarred millions throughout history, has now effectively been eradicated¹¹. But she will need protection against polio. One of my earliest childhood memories is that of my parents being thrilled at the introduction of polio vaccine¹².

Older kids told me about having to stay inside in the summers when there were outbreaks, and there was one young man in our neighborhood in what we called an iron lung.

Yes, there are very rare cases in which children and adults have actually gotten the disease they sought to avoid from a vaccination, or other adverse¹³ reactions. It is also possible to fall off your sofa and break your neck, or to drive around drunk and survive.

But the opposite is a zillion times more likely. The federal Centers for Disease Control estimates vaccinating¹⁴ children will prevent nearly three-quarters of a million deaths over 20 years and stop more than 20 million other kids from landing in the hospital.

Freedom, including freedom of religion, doesn't include the right to create a public health hazard. Last month, Linda Parker, a federal judge in Detroit, reaffirmed that in ruling against a plaintiff who claimed the state's attempt to persuade her to vaccinate her children violated her constitutional rights. She was in fact allowed to not vaccinate her children on religious grounds, but the judge noted¹⁵ that based on U.S. Supreme¹⁶ Court rulings, “Michigan could constitutionally mandate¹⁷ that all children receive the required vaccinations before attending public school.”

Sadly, we don't do that. But we should see that as many children are vaccinated as possible.

There is no excuse for any child dying because of irresponsibility or misinformation. And I'm proud of the state for trying to spread the word.

1 vaccinate   

vt.给…接种疫苗；种牛痘

参考例句：

• Local health officials then can plan the best times to vaccinate people.这样，当地的卫生官员就可以安排最佳时间给人们接种疫苗。
• Doctors vaccinate us so that we do not catch smallpox.医生给我们打预防针使我们不会得天花。

2 vaccination   

n.接种疫苗，种痘

参考例句：

• Vaccination is a preventive against smallpox.种痘是预防天花的方法。
• Doctors suggest getting a tetanus vaccination every ten years.医生建议每十年注射一次破伤风疫苗。

3 thoroughly   

adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地

参考例句：

• The soil must be thoroughly turned over before planting.一定要先把土地深翻一遍再下种。
• The soldiers have been thoroughly instructed in the care of their weapons.士兵们都系统地接受过保护武器的训练。

4 debunked   

v.揭穿真相，暴露( debunk的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• His theories have been debunked by recent research. 最近的研究揭穿了他的理论的真相。
• Some advertising slogans should be debunked. 某些夸大的广告用语应予揭露。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 vaccinations   

n.种痘，接种( vaccination的名词复数 )；牛痘疤

参考例句：

• Vaccinations ensure one against diseases. 接种疫苗可以预防疾病。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• I read some publicity about vaccinations while waiting my turn at the doctor's. 在医生那儿候诊时，我读了一些关于接种疫苗的宣传。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 whooping   

发嗬嗬声的，发咳声的

参考例句：

• Whooping cough is very prevalent just now. 百日咳正在广泛流行。
• Have you had your child vaccinated against whooping cough? 你给你的孩子打过百日咳疫苗了吗？

7 measles   

n.麻疹，风疹，包虫病，痧子

参考例句：

• The doctor is quite definite about Tom having measles.医生十分肯定汤姆得了麻疹。
• The doctor told her to watch out for symptoms of measles.医生叫她注意麻疹出现的症状。

8 mumps   

n.腮腺炎

参考例句：

• Sarah got mumps from her brother.萨拉的弟弟患腮腺炎，传染给她了。
• I was told not go near Charles. He is sickening for mumps.别人告诉我不要走近查尔斯， 他染上了流行性腮腺炎。

9 vaccinated   

[医]已接种的，种痘的，接种过疫菌的

参考例句：

• I was vaccinated against tetanus. 我接种了破伤风疫苗。
• Were you vaccinated against smallpox as a child? 你小时候打过天花疫苗吗？

10 smallpox   

n.天花

参考例句：

• In 1742 he suffered a fatal attack of smallpox.1742年，他染上了致命的天花。
• Were you vaccinated against smallpox as a child?你小时候打过天花疫苗吗？

11 eradicated   

画着根的

参考例句：

• Polio has been virtually eradicated in Brazil. 在巴西脊髓灰质炎实际上已经根除。
• The disease has been eradicated from the world. 这种疾病已在全世界得到根除。

12 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。

13 adverse   

adj.不利的；有害的；敌对的，不友好的

参考例句：

• He is adverse to going abroad.他反对出国。
• The improper use of medicine could lead to severe adverse reactions.用药不当会产生严重的不良反应。

14 vaccinating   

给…接种疫苗( vaccinate的现在分词 )； 注射疫苗，接种疫苗

参考例句：

• At first blush, vaccinating the wolves against rabies seems a simple solution. 乍一看来，为狼群注射防狂犬病疫苗是一种简单的办法。
• Also vaccinating children against misers (measles) has saved many lives. 还有，给儿童进行疫苗接种防止麻疹也挽救了许多生命。

15 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

16 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

17 mandate   

n.托管地；命令，指示

参考例句：

• The President had a clear mandate to end the war.总统得到明确的授权结束那场战争。
• The General Election gave him no such mandate.大选并未授予他这种权力。