VOA健康报道2022 研究发现EB病毒跟多发性硬化症有关（在线收听）

Researchers have found more evidence that one of the world's most common viruses may be linked to the disease multiple sclerosis.

研究人员发现更多证据表明，世界上最常见的一种病毒可能跟多发性硬化症（简称MS）有关系。

MS causes the body's own immune system to mistakenly attack nerve cells. It destroys the protective material that covers nerve tissue.

多发性硬化症会导致人体自身免疫系统错误地攻击神经细胞。它会破坏覆盖神经组织的保护物质。

The Epstein-Barr virus has long been suspected of playing a part in development of MS. But a connection is hard to prove because just about everybody gets infected with Epstein-Barr but few develop MS.

长期以来，人们一直怀疑爱泼斯坦-巴尔病毒（以下简称EB病毒）在多发性硬化症的发展过程中发挥了作用。但是这种联系很难被证明，因为几乎每个人都感染了EB病毒，但是很少人会患上多发性硬化症。

Last week, Harvard researchers reported one of the largest studies yet to support the possible link between the virus and MS. They studied a supply of blood samples from usual medical tests on more than 10 million members of the American military. The samples cover a period from 1993 to 2013. The scientists searched the samples for antibodies signaling viral infection.

上周，哈佛大学的研究人员报告了迄今为止最大的一项研究，证实该病毒与多发性硬化症存在可能的联系。他们研究了超过1000万美国军人做常规检查的血液样本。这些样本覆盖了从1993年到2013年的时间段。科学家在这些样本中查找可表明病毒感染的抗体。

They found that the risk of MS increased by 32 times following Epstein-Barr infection.

他们发现在感染EB病毒之后多发性硬化症的风险提高了32倍。

Only 5.3 percent of the sampled group were free of signs of the virus when they joined the military. The researchers compared 801 MS cases found later over the 20-year period with 1,566 service members who never got MS.

只有5.3%的抽样组显示他们在参军时不存在感染这种病毒迹象。研究人员将随后20年间发现的801例多发性硬化症病例与1566例从未患上多发性硬化症的服役人员进行了比较。

Only one of the MS patients had no evidence of the Epstein-Barr virus before their MS diagnosis. And the researchers found no evidence that other viral infections were involved.

只有一名多发性硬化症患者在确诊前不存在感染EB病毒的证据。研究人员也没有发现涉及其它病毒感染的证据。

The findings "strongly suggest" that Epstein-Barr infection is "a cause and not a consequence of MS," study leader Alberto Ascherio and his team reported in the publication Science. Dr. Ascherio is with the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

研究负责人阿尔贝托·阿谢里奥和他的团队在《科学》杂志上报告说，研究结果“强烈表明”EB病毒感染是“多发性硬化症的原因而不是结果。”阿谢里奥博士在哈佛大学陈曾熙公共卫生学院工作。

The virus appears to be "the initial trigger," Dr. William H. Robinson and Dr. Lawrence Steinman of Stanford University wrote in a report alongside the study.

斯坦福大学的威廉·H·罗宾逊和劳伦斯·斯坦曼博士在同期发表的报告中写道，这种病毒似乎是最初的诱因。

Epstein-Barr is best known for causing "mono," or infectious mononucleosis, in teenagers and young adults. The virus remains inactive in the body after infection and has been linked to later development of some autoimmune diseases, including MS, and rare cancers.

EB病毒最广为人知的是会在青少年中引起“单核细胞增多症”或传染性单核细胞增多症。该病毒感染后在体内保持无活性，并且与一些自身免疫性疾病的后期发展有关，包括多发性硬化症和罕见癌症。

It is not clear why. Some scientists think the body is tricked by viral proteins that look very much like nerve proteins.

目前尚不清楚原因。有科学家认为身体被看起来很像神经蛋白的病毒蛋白欺骗了。

Whatever the cause may be, the new study is "the strongest evidence to date that Epstein-Barr contributes to cause MS," said Mark Allegretta. He is vice president for research at the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

马克·阿莱格蕾塔表示，无论原因是什么，这项新研究都是迄今为止表明EB病毒会导致多发性硬化症的最有力证据。他是美国国家多发性硬化症学会的研究副总裁。

He added that the evidence, "opens the door to potentially prevent MS by preventing Epstein-Barr infection."

他还表示，这些证据打开了通过预防感染EB病毒来预防多发性硬化症的大门。

I'm Caty Weaver.

我是凯蒂·韦弗。

Australia's government has invited backpackers and students to seek work in the country. "Backpackers" are mostly younger people who travel in a simple way and do not spend very much money.

澳大利亚政府已经邀请背包客和学生在该国寻找工作。背包客多为出行方式简单、花销不大的年轻人。

The move is an effort to fill critical workforce shortages as Australia faces an outbreak of the Omicron variant of COVID-19.

澳大利亚面临新冠肺炎奥密克戎变种的爆发，此举是为了填补劳动力的严重短缺。

Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Wednesday said his government would not require backpackers or students arriving in the next several weeks to pay the usual $453 visa cost. He also urged such visitors to seek work as they travel around the country.

澳大利亚总理科特莫里森周三表示，政府不会要求未来几周内抵达的背包客或学生支付通常所需的453美元签证费用。他还督促这些游客在澳大利亚各地旅行时寻找工作。

"Come on down now because you wanted to come to Australia," Morrison said during a televised press conference.

莫里森在电视新闻发布会上表示：“现在就快来，因为你想来澳大利亚。”

He added that the backpackers and students could seek work in agriculture, hospitality and "so many other parts of the economy" that lack enough workers.

他还表示，背包客和学生可以在人员短缺的农业、酒店业以及其它许多经济领域寻找工作。

The announcement comes as Morrison faces criticism at the beginning of an election year. Critics say he has not done well in dealing with the Omicron outbreak.

宣布这一消息之际，莫里森正面临选举年伊始的批评。批评人士表示，莫里森在应对奥密克戎疫情方面做得并不好。

Australia is experiencing record numbers of new infections and deaths. Officials in Australia reported 67 new deaths and nearly 80,000 new cases on Wednesday. Chief Health Officer Paul Kelly said Australians should expect the pandemic's total death numbers to rise.

澳大利亚正在经历创纪录的新增感染和死亡人数。澳大利亚官员周三报告了67例新增死亡和近8万例新增病例。首席卫生官保罗·凯利表示，澳大利亚人可以预料到大流行死亡人数的上升。

Australian businesses are struggling with the growing number of workers who are sick or ordered to isolate. The labor shortage has led to supply shortages. Food stores have put in place purchase limits on some goods.

澳大利亚企业正在艰难应对越来越多员工感染或是被勒令隔离。劳动力短缺导致了供应短缺。食品商品已经对某些商品实施了限购。

Rising hospitalizations have put pressure on the health system. Nearly 1.3 million cases of the country's total of 1.6 million cases have been reported in the past two weeks.

住院人数的上升给卫生系统带来了压力。该国总计有160万例病例，其中近130万例是过去两周报告的。

Morrison is also facing criticism over the shortage of at-home rapid tests. On Wednesday, he urged state leaders to drop any requirements for workers in most industries to take daily rapid tests. The federal government also promised to buy 52 million tests this month from Asia and the United States.

莫里森还因家用快检盒短缺而遭受批评。周三，他督促各州领导人放弃对大多数行业员工进行每日快速检测的要求。联邦政府还承诺本月从亚洲和美国购买5200万份检测试剂盒。

As the country faces a shortage of tests, police on Wednesday said 42,000 tests worth about $500,000 were stolen from a freight station in Sydney.

尽管该国面临检测盒短缺，警方周三表示，价值约50万美元的42000份检测试剂盒在悉尼的一个货运站被盗。