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肯尼亚：疟疾疫苗带来新希望

Malaria¹ control efforts currently depend mostly on things like chemically-treated mosquito nets and spraying against the disease-carrying insects. But scientists in Kenya say that next year, a new malaria vaccine² will be available that could add an important component³ to malaria control and potentially eradicate⁴ the disease.

目前，控制疟疾的方法主要是使用化学药处理过的蚊帐和喷洒杀虫剂，可是肯尼亚的科学家说，一种新的疟疾疫苗将在明年投入使用，将为控制疟疾提供一个重要手段，甚至可能杜绝疟疾。

Malaria kills more than 500,000 people a year worldwide, and causes illness in millions more, most of them children living in sub-Saharan Africa.

全球每年有50多万人死于疟疾，还有千百万人患上疟疾，其中大多数人是撒哈拉以南非洲地区的儿童。

A third of all patients in Kenya's third-largest city, Kisumu, and its environs suffer from malaria.

肯尼亚第三大城市基苏木和周围地区的所有病人中，3分之1是疟疾患者。

Although existing interventions⁵ have helped to reduce the disease over the past decade, scientists in this lab in western Kenya are working on a vaccine -- with the help of Britain's GlaxoSmithKline and other partners -- that could add an important component to malaria control.

过去10年来，虽然现有的手段有助于减少疟疾传播，可是在这个位于肯尼亚西部的实验室里，科学家在英国葛兰素史克制药公司等机构的协助下，正在研发一种疫苗，可能为控制疟疾提供一个重要手段。

Scientist say vaccinating⁶ people, especially young children, is the key to eradicating⁷ the disease.

科学家说，接种疫苗，尤其是孩子，是根除这种疾病的关键。

Dr. Martina Oneko helped to carry out the vaccination⁸ process in rural western Kenya.

玛蒂娜·昂尼科医生曾经在肯尼亚西部偏远地区帮助接种疫苗工作。

"We saw a very good success of the vaccine resulting in health improvements in these children. They were just not sick as their counterparts in the community who were not vaccinated⁹. The overall vaccine efficacy in the older age group for all the sites was 47 percent and in the younger age it was 27 percent," Oneko explained.

儿科医生玛蒂娜·昂尼科说： “我们看到接种疫苗后，这些儿童的健康状况改善了。他们不像同一个社区没有接种的孩子，没有得病。总体上，在所有各地年纪较大的孩子中，疫苗有效率为47%，年龄小的孩子为27%。”

The RTS vaccine prevents the malaria parasite¹⁰ from infecting, maturing and multiplying in the liver, from which it normally re-enters the blood and infects red blood cells, leading to the disease.

这种RTS疫苗可以防止疟疾寄生虫在肝脏中感染、成长和繁殖。通常，这些寄生虫随后返回血液中，感染红细胞，导致人体得病。

Some residents have welcomed the initiative.

一些居民欢迎这种疫苗。

"Pregnant mothers and even children, unborn babies, they've been dying because of malaria, so I think with the introduction of that vaccine will save many young lives," Jepheth Mume said.

基苏木居民说： “怀孕的母亲，甚至孩子和还没出生的婴儿，都因为疟疾而死亡。我觉得这种疫苗会挽救很多年轻的生命。”

Mercy Adhiambo added, "Even me, I will use it, even my family will use it and we accept it."

基苏木居民说： “我会接种，我的家人也会接种，我们欢迎这种疫苗。”

According to researchers, the vaccine may not be the final answer to malaria, but along with other measures like mosquito nets, spraying drainage systems and clearing bushes, it may make a big difference to millions of people in sub-Saharan Africa.

疟疾研究人员说，这种疫苗或许不是消灭疟疾的终结手段，可是同时使用蚊帐、给下水道喷药和清理灌木的手段，可能会给撒哈拉以南非洲地区千百万人的生活带来改观。