美国国家公共电台 NPR This Vaccine Can Prevent Cancer, But Many Teenagers Still Don't Get It

 

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

Health experts would really like to vaccinate¹ more young people against the virus called HPV, which can cause certain cancers. The vaccine² was first introduced many years ago, but a new analysis from the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association finds only about one-third of adolescents get vaccinated³ by their teen years. NPR's Allison Aubrey reports.

ALLISON AUBREY, BYLINE⁴: In the U.S., about 12,000 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer each year, and about 4,000 women die from it. An HPV vaccine can prevent most of these cervical cancers. It can also prevent cancer of the penis in men. Pediatricians recommend getting it early in adolescence⁵, says Margaret Stager of MetroHealth Medical Center in Cleveland. She's a spokesperson for the American Academy of Pediatrics.

MARGARET STAGER: It's important for 12- and 13-year-olds to get the HPV vaccine to provide immunity⁶ so that when they may be exposed to HPV later in life, typically through sexual activity, they have protection.

AUBREY: Stager says vaccination⁷ rates are rising, but she still hears pushback from parents, comments like this.

STAGER: Why are we giving a vaccine to my little girl? She's only 11, and she's not going to be having sex, so why are we doing this now?

AUBREY: Stager says there are two reasons. There's a more effective immune response when the vaccine is given earlier in adolescence. Also...

STAGER: It works best if given before any sexual exposure, and that includes oral sex, as well, and touching⁸.

AUBREY: Now, fewer boys than girls get vaccinated, and that may be because the recommendation to give boys the vaccine came years after it was first recommended for girls. But Stager says what's become clear is that men are getting HPV-related cancers.

STAGER: We're seeing a new trend in adult men with oral cancers related to HPV. And this is alarming because this is the group that did not have the opportunity to get the HPV vaccine.

AUBREY: She says the connection between HPV and oral cancer in men is clear.

STAGER: It's related to oral sex. And it's a trend that we're seeing that's increasing in great numbers.

AUBREY: In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has documented a significant increase in the cases of HPV-related oral cancers in men in recent years. But Stager says it may not be too late to get vaccinated. According to CDC recommendations, young men and women who missed the vaccine as teenagers can get it through their early 20s. Allison Aubrey, NPR News.

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 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。

3 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？

4 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

5 adolescence   

n.青春期，青少年

参考例句：

• Adolescence is the process of going from childhood to maturity.青春期是从少年到成年的过渡期。
• The film is about the trials and tribulations of adolescence.这部电影讲述了青春期的麻烦和苦恼。

6 immunity   

n.优惠；免除；豁免，豁免权

参考例句：

• The law gives public schools immunity from taxation.法律免除公立学校的纳税义务。
• He claims diplomatic immunity to avoid being arrested.他要求外交豁免以便避免被捕。

7 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。

8 touching   

adj.动人的，使人感伤的

参考例句：

• It was a touching sight.这是一幅动人的景象。
• His letter was touching.他的信很感人。