VOA慢速英语2017--流感病毒比战争更致命

Flu Virus Can Be Deadlier Than War

From VOA Learning English, this is the Health & Lifestyle report.

The year 2018 will mark the 100th anniversary of the deadliest influenza¹ outbreak in history.

Scientists estimate that the influenza pandemic of 1918 killed more than 50 million people around the world. Other estimates go much higher. Because of a lack of medical record-keeping, we may never know the exact number.

However, the outbreak was a global disaster, killing² more people than World War I.

In the United States, historians at the National Archives state that the “flu afflicted³ over 25 percent of the U.S. population. In one year, the average life expectancy⁴ in the United States dropped by 12 years."

It was a fast killer⁵. Again, archival records state that some “victims died within hours of their first symptoms.” Others died after a few days. “Their lungs filled with fluid and they suffocated⁷ to death.”

The 1918 flu pandemic was also different from other outbreaks. It struck many healthy, young people. Viruses usually affect sick or old people.

Scientists now say they know why.

In 1918, people born after 1889 were most at risk because they had not been exposed to an earlier virus as children. This exposure would have protected them somewhat from the 1918 flu.

Creating an effective flu vaccine⁸ is difficult

Although modern medicine effectively controls many diseases, influenza remains⁹ difficult to protect against. The World Health Organization estimates that every year influenza kills 250,000 to 500,000 people around the world.

Each year, medical scientists develop flu vaccines¹⁰. But they can only guess which strain of the virus will spread.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the United States notes on its website that: “flu viruses are constantly changing – they can change from one season to the next or they can even change within the course of one flu season.”

Flu vaccines offer immunity¹¹ from a limited number of influenza viruses and often do not protect against new forms of the virus.

The CDC adds that the effectiveness of a flu vaccine can be very different from year to year. The CDC says recent studies show that “flu vaccination¹² reduces the risk of flu illness by between 40% and 60% among the overall population.” However, this only happens “…during seasons when most circulating flu viruses are well-matched to the flu vaccine.”

Still worth getting a flu shot, but…

Anthony Fauci is the Director of the National Institute of Allergy¹³ and Infectious Diseases in the United States. He says the effectiveness, or efficacy, of flu vaccines makes it worth getting vaccinated¹⁴. But he says we need a better vaccine.

"Even on a good year the overall efficacy of an influenza vaccine is about 60 percent so even though it is always better to get vaccinated against influenza than it is not to get vaccinated, no doubt about that, we need to get a better vaccine."

Vaccine makers¹⁵ are also concerned with the low rate of effectiveness for flu vaccines.

David Vaughn is the Senior Vaccine Development Leader for Influenza and Dengue Vaccines at the drug company GlaxoSmithKlein. Vaughn says becoming infected with influenza remains very common.

"The disease we are trying to prevent is very prevalent. Up to 20 percent of us will have an influenza infection during the course of a year.”

Will there be another deadly flu pandemic?

Health officials remain concerned about another flu pandemic. New strains of the flu virus appear regularly. One example was the "swine flu" or H1N1 outbreak in 2009. Fauci says that virus caused a true pandemic.

"Certainly we've had a flu pandemic in 2009, the H1N1 "swine flu," that was not a serious epidemic¹⁶ in the sense of a lot of deaths. It was a pandemic to be sure because it was a relatively¹⁷ new virus that was widespread infection throughout the world."

However, outbreaks do not affect all parts of the world equally. Vaughn notes that pandemics hit the developing world harder because of low vaccination rates.

"Most influenza deaths occur in developing countries, and very few vaccinations¹⁸ occur there."

A universal flu vaccine

To stop the next pandemic, scientists are now researching how to create a universal influenza vaccine.

In October 2017, Vanderbilt University Medical Center in the U.S. announced the Universal Influenza Vaccine Initiative. The university said researchers are “leading an international effort to develop a universal influenza vaccine that would protect everyone against all strains of the flu anywhere in the world.”

The university added that researchers will begin tests in early 2018. The Human Vaccines Project, a public-private partnership¹⁹, is funding the project.

However, until a universal influenza vaccine is available, today’s seasonal²⁰ flu vaccine remains important. Experts say that they may prevent the spread of the flu virus and may lower the risk of a deadly pandemic like the one in 1918.

I’m Anna Matteo.

Words in This Story

influenza – n. a common illness that is caused by a virus and that causes fever, weakness, severe aches and pains, and breathing problems

pandemic – adj. occurring over a wide geographic²¹ area and affecting an exceptionally high proportion of the population

archive – n. a place in which public records or historical materials (such as documents) are preserved

suffocate⁶ – v. to die because you are unable to breathe

exposure – n. the fact or condition of being affected²² by something or experiencing something : the condition of being exposed to something

immunity – n. medical : the power to keep yourself from being affected by a disease — usually + to (They have developed immunity to the virus.)

strain – n. a group of closely related plants or animals

circulate – v. to pass from person to person or place to place

efficacy – n. the power to produce a desired result or effect

prevalent – adj. accepted, done, or happening often or over a large area at a particular time : common or widespread

initiative – n. a plan or program that is intended to solve a problem

1 influenza   

n.流行性感冒，流感

参考例句：

• They took steps to prevent the spread of influenza.他们采取措施
• Influenza is an infectious disease.流感是一种传染病。

2 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

3 afflicted   

使受痛苦，折磨( afflict的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• About 40% of the country's population is afflicted with the disease. 全国40%左右的人口患有这种疾病。
• A terrible restlessness that was like to hunger afflicted Martin Eden. 一阵可怕的、跟饥饿差不多的不安情绪折磨着马丁·伊登。

4 expectancy   

n.期望，预期，（根据概率统计求得）预期数额

参考例句：

• Japanese people have a very high life expectancy.日本人的平均寿命非常长。
• The atomosphere of tense expectancy sobered everyone.这种期望的紧张气氛使每个人变得严肃起来。

5 killer   

n.杀人者，杀人犯，杀手，屠杀者

参考例句：

• Heart attacks have become Britain's No.1 killer disease.心脏病已成为英国的头号致命疾病。
• The bulk of the evidence points to him as her killer.大量证据证明是他杀死她的。

6 suffocate   

vt.使窒息，使缺氧，阻碍；vi.窒息，窒息而亡，阻碍发展

参考例句：

• If you shut all the windows,I will suffocate.如果你把窗户全部关起来，我就会闷死。
• The stale air made us suffocate.浑浊的空气使我们感到窒息。

7 suffocated   

（使某人）窒息而死( suffocate的过去式和过去分词 )； （将某人）闷死； 让人感觉闷热； 憋气

参考例句：

• Many dogs have suffocated in hot cars. 许多狗在热烘烘的汽车里给闷死了。
• I nearly suffocated when the pipe of my breathing apparatus came adrift. 呼吸器上的管子脱落时，我差点给憋死。

8 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。

9 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

10 vaccines   

疫苗，痘苗( vaccine的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His team are at the forefront of scientific research into vaccines. 他的小组处于疫苗科研的最前沿。
• The vaccines were kept cool in refrigerators. 疫苗放在冰箱中冷藏。

11 immunity   

n.优惠；免除；豁免，豁免权

参考例句：

• The law gives public schools immunity from taxation.法律免除公立学校的纳税义务。
• He claims diplomatic immunity to avoid being arrested.他要求外交豁免以便避免被捕。

12 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。

13 allergy   

n.(因食物、药物等而引起的)过敏症

参考例句：

• He developed an allergy to pollen.他对花粉过敏。
• The patient had an allergy to penicillin.该患者对青霉素过敏。

14 vaccinated   

[医]已接种的，种痘的，接种过疫菌的

参考例句：

• I was vaccinated against tetanus. 我接种了破伤风疫苗。
• Were you vaccinated against smallpox as a child? 你小时候打过天花疫苗吗？

15 makers   

n.制造者，制造商（maker的复数形式）

参考例句：

• The makers of the product assured us that there had been no sacrifice of quality. 这一产品的制造商向我们保证说他们没有牺牲质量。
• The makers are about to launch out a new product. 制造商们马上要生产一种新产品。 来自《简明英汉词典》

16 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。

17 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。

18 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》

19 partnership   

n.合作关系，伙伴关系

参考例句：

• The company has gone into partnership with Swiss Bank Corporation.这家公司已经和瑞士银行公司建立合作关系。
• Martin has taken him into general partnership in his company.马丁已让他成为公司的普通合伙人。

20 seasonal   

adj.季节的，季节性的

参考例句：

• The town relies on the seasonal tourist industry for jobs.这个城镇依靠季节性旅游业提供就业机会。
• The hors d'oeuvre is seasonal vegetables.餐前小吃是应时蔬菜。

21 geographic   

adj.地理学的，地理的

参考例句：

• The city's success owes much to its geographic position. 这座城市的成功很大程度上归功于它的地理位置。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Environmental problems pay no heed to these geographic lines. 环境问题并不理会这些地理界限。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

22 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。