新奇事件簿 中东呼吸道综合征病毒危机

The virus known as MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome) has spread enough for the WHO (World Health Organisation) to say the situation is now more serious and urgent. The WHO's assistant director-general for health security Dr Keiji Fukuda said that the illness currently does not constitute a global health emergency but needs to be carefully monitored in case of a sudden epidemic¹. Dr Fukuda said declaring an emergency is "a major act" that can unnecessarily "raise anxieties." He added that there is no "evidence of person-to-person transmissibility". The virus has so far been reported in 18 countries since surfacing in Saudi Arabia in 2012. There have been 571 confirmed cases and 171 deaths.

中东呼吸道综合征病毒已经扩散，WHO(世界卫生组织)表示,目前的情况更加严重和紧迫。世界卫生组织卫生安全助理总干事Keiji Fukuda博士说,这种疾病目前还未造成全球卫生紧急状况，但需要仔细监控,以防传染病突然流行。Fukuda博士说,宣布国家进入紧急状态是“一个重大行动”,可能会引发不必要的恐慌。他补充说,目前还没有人与人之间的传播的“证据”。自2012年在沙特阿拉伯发现这种病毒之后，迄今为止，18个国家也发现了这一病毒。已经有571例确诊病例和171例死亡。

The USA's Center for Disease Control said MERS is a viral respiratory illness caused by a coronavirus called MERS-CoV. It said: "Most people who have been confirmed to have MERS-CoV infection developed severe acute respiratory illness. They had a fever, cough, and shortness of breath. About 30 per cent of these people died." Researchers believe it was passed to humans from camels in Saudi Arabia. All of the people who have contracted it have had very close contact with other sufferers. Doctors said it does not pass from person to person like a flu virus. Airports in the U.S. are advising those travelling to the Middle East to: "Wash your hands often, avoid touching² your face, avoid close contact with sick people."

美国疾病控制中心说, MERS是一种病毒性呼吸道疾病，是由冠状病毒MERS-CoV引起的。它说，大多数被确诊携带MERS-CoV的人，会患严重的急性呼吸道感染疾病。他们有发热、咳嗽、呼吸急促的症状。大约30%的确诊患者已经死亡。研究人员认为这是沙特阿拉伯的骆驼传染给人类的。所有感染这一病毒的人，与其他患者都有密切接触。医生说它并不像禽流感那样在人与人之间传染。美国机场建议那些前往中东的旅客，经常洗手,不要摸脸,尽量不要与生病的人密切接触。

1 epidemic   

n.流行病；盛行；adj.流行性的，流传极广的

参考例句：

• That kind of epidemic disease has long been stamped out.那种传染病早已绝迹。
• The authorities tried to localise the epidemic.当局试图把流行病限制在局部范围。

2 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。