VOA慢速英语20060503b

HEALTH REPORT - Midwestern U.S. Fights a Mumps¹ OutbreakBy Cynthia Kirk

Broadcast: Wednesday, May 03, 2006

I'm Steve Ember with the VOA Special English Health Report.

States in the American Midwest are working to contain an outbreak of the mumps virus. Health workers are vaccinating² college students and others who live or work close together.


2006: A college student in Iowa gets a mumps vaccination³

Mumps used to be common in the United States in babies, children and young adults. In nineteen sixty-seven, researchers developed a vaccine⁴ to prevent it.

Mumps is usually not serious. There is a risk, however, that it can lead to problems like infection of the brain and hearing loss. In women it can cause failed pregnancies⁵; in men it can cause testicular damage.

Iowa is the state most affected⁶ by the outbreak. Since December, Iowa has reported more than one thousand cases of mumps, either confirmed or suspected. Health officials say young adults eighteen to twenty-five years old have had the highest number of cases in Iowa.

This is the largest mumps outbreak in America in years. The United States has had an average of fewer than three hundred cases yearly since two thousand one.


1957: A boy with mumps, 10 years before a vaccine was developed

Mumps generally causes high body temperature, headaches, muscle pain and tiredness. It also causes painful swelling⁷ of salivary⁸ glands⁹ near the jaw¹⁰ line, especially below the ears.

People with mumps are sick generally for about a week or so. Many people get mild cases. Some infected people never even get sick.

The virus spreads easily. That can happen when infected people sneeze, cough, kiss or share food or drinks. People who touch surfaces with the virus on it can also get infected. Hand washing can help prevent the spread of mumps.

There is no treatment. Most American children receive a combined vaccine to prevent mumps and two other diseases: measles¹¹ and rubella.

Experts at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say the outbreak might have begun at a college. And it might have started with a traveler. Britain has been dealing¹² with a mumps outbreak that has resulted in more than sixty thousand cases.

C.D.C. officials note that the British cases have happened mostly in young adults who had only one injection of mumps vaccine or none at all. The experts say one vaccination should prevent about eight out of ten cases of mumps. Two should prevent about nine out of ten.

Young adults in the Midwest are being urged to find out if they had one or two vaccinations¹³ as children, or any at all.

This VOA Special English Health Report was written by Cynthia Kirk. Read and listen to our reports at www.unsv.com. I'm Steve Ember.

1 mumps   

n.腮腺炎

参考例句：

• Sarah got mumps from her brother.萨拉的弟弟患腮腺炎，传染给她了。
• I was told not go near Charles. He is sickening for mumps.别人告诉我不要走近查尔斯， 他染上了流行性腮腺炎。

2 vaccinating   

给…接种疫苗( vaccinate的现在分词 )； 注射疫苗，接种疫苗

参考例句：

• At first blush, vaccinating the wolves against rabies seems a simple solution. 乍一看来，为狼群注射防狂犬病疫苗是一种简单的办法。
• Also vaccinating children against misers (measles) has saved many lives. 还有，给儿童进行疫苗接种防止麻疹也挽救了许多生命。

3 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。

4 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。

5 pregnancies   

怀孕，妊娠( pregnancy的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Since the wartime population needed replenishment, pregnancies were a good sign. 最后一桩倒不失为好现象，战时人口正该补充。
• She's had three pregnancies in four years. 她在四年中怀孕叁次。

6 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

7 swelling   

n.肿胀

参考例句：

• Use ice to reduce the swelling. 用冰敷消肿。
• There is a marked swelling of the lymph nodes. 淋巴结处有明显的肿块。

8 salivary   

adj. 唾液的

参考例句：

• Small doses depress salivary and bronchial secretion and sweating. 小剂量可抑制唾液分泌、支气管分泌及出汗。
• The five pairs of salivary glands open into the mouth. 有五对唾液腺通向口腔。

9 glands   

n.腺( gland的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a snake's poison glands 蛇的毒腺
• the sebaceous glands in the skin 皮脂腺

10 jaw   

n.颚，颌，说教，流言蜚语；v.喋喋不休，教训

参考例句：

• He delivered a right hook to his opponent's jaw.他给了对方下巴一记右钩拳。
• A strong square jaw is a sign of firm character.强健的方下巴是刚毅性格的标志。

11 measles   

n.麻疹，风疹，包虫病，痧子

参考例句：

• The doctor is quite definite about Tom having measles.医生十分肯定汤姆得了麻疹。
• The doctor told her to watch out for symptoms of measles.医生叫她注意麻疹出现的症状。

12 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

13 vaccinations   

n.种痘，接种( vaccination的名词复数 )；牛痘疤

参考例句：

• Vaccinations ensure one against diseases. 接种疫苗可以预防疾病。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• I read some publicity about vaccinations while waiting my turn at the doctor's. 在医生那儿候诊时，我读了一些关于接种疫苗的宣传。 来自《简明英汉词典》