VOA常速英语2014--用幸存者的血液来治疗埃博拉(在线收听

 

Survivor's Blood Used in Ebola Treatment 用幸存者的血液来治疗埃博拉

WASHINGTON— 

There is no known cure for Ebola, but several U.S. patients have received donations of blood and plasma from a survivor of the Ebola virus. There is a debate in the medical community as to whether the blood of Ebola survivors has value.

Kevin Brantley survived Ebola. One possible cause for his recovery? A blood transfusion from a young Ebola survivor in Africa.

凯文·布兰特利医生在埃博拉中幸存下来了,他是如何恢复的呢?他从非洲一位年轻的埃博拉幸存者那里得到输血。

Blood transfusions are an experimental treatment for Ebola. Survivors may have high levels of antibodies in their blood that can help fight the Ebola virus in new patients.

输血是对付埃博拉的一个实验性治疗方法,幸存者的血液中可能含有高水平的抗体,这些抗议可用来对付新患者体内的埃博拉病毒。

Brantley has donated blood or plasma to three U.S. Ebola patients. He was not able to donate to Thomas Duncan, the Liberian who died of the virus at a Dallas hospital, because they did not share the same blood type.

布兰特利向三位美国埃博拉患者捐赠了血液或血浆,他未能给在达拉斯医院死于该病毒的利比里亚患者托马斯·邓肯捐血,是因为两人的血型不符。

Blood transfusions share some similarities with vaccines now in development that use artificial antibodies similar to the ones found in survivor blood.

输血和目前开发中的疫苗有类似之处,这种疫苗使用的人造抗体类似于在幸存者体内发现的抗体。

Dr. Jesse Goodman, a professor of medicine and infectious diseases at Georgetown University Medical Center says the medical community still needs more research on the effectiveness of the transfusions.

古德曼博士是乔治城大学医学中心医学和传染病教授,他说医学界仍需要就输血的疗效进行更多研究。

“We do not know whether transfusion of blood from somebody who has recovered from the disease actually helps. We do not know. So the fact that some individuals who receive the blood get better does not necessarily mean that it is the blood that did it,” said Goodman.

“我们并不知道使用埃博拉幸存者的血液是否能起到作用,所以一些患者在输血后好转并不一定意味着是输血的功劳。”

Goodman said that the transfusions may be only one element in the treatment of Ebola survivors. Prompt medical attention and the overall health of the patient are also factors in recovery from the virus.

古德曼说输血可能是促成埃博拉幸存者好转的一个因素而已,及时的医护和患者整体健康状况也可能是促使其恢复的因素。

The transfusion treatment will need to undergo rigorous testing to determine if it makes a difference.

输血疗法仍需要进行严格的测试,来断定其是否有功效。

But even if Brantley’s blood does turn out to be a key part of treatment, Georgetown University professor Lawrence Gostin said his blood - and the blood of all Ebola survivors - belongs to everyone.

但即使研究表明布兰特利的血液能在治疗中发挥关键作用,乔治城大学教授劳伦斯·戈斯廷说,他的血液、以及所有埃博拉幸存者的血液都属于每个人。

“We are all part of the human race and as part of the human race, it means we should not be selfish. We should be community-minded and community-spirited,” said Gostin. “There should be no patents on it. There should be no financial gain. There should be no hesitation. The ethical and right thing to do is clear to anyone.”

“我们都是人类的一分子,这意味着我们不应该自私。我们应该具有社区观念和社区精神,不应该就其血液申请专利,不应该从中获取利益,不应该有什么犹豫的。每个人都明白怎么做才符合道德,才是正确的。”

It is a question that is sure to come up again on the long road to discovering effective treatments for Ebola.  

在寻找埃博拉有效疗法的漫长路程中,这个问题肯定还会再次出现。

  原文地址:http://www.tingroom.com/voastandard/2014/10/282472.html