VOA标准英语2009年-China Approves One-Dose H1N1 Vaccine

Chinese health authorities have given approval to a domestic company to mass produce a vaccine¹ for the H1N1 strain of flu. Unlike other vaccines², this one does not require multiple doses.
　
Chinese worker displays vials containing H1N1 flu vaccine by Beijing-based drug maker³ Sinovac Biotech Ltd., 3 Sep 2009

The Chinese bio-technology company Sinovac says its H1N1 vaccine only requires one shot to be effective. This defies previous expectations that vaccines against the so-called swine flu would need two doses to work.

Wang Nan, vice-general manager at Sinovac, says the company began research on the vaccine in early June.

Wang says 21 days after giving subjects the first injections, experimenters tested their blood and discovered that one dose provided the expected level of protection.

Wang says Sinovac will focus on China's market first, but is also interested in selling the vaccine internationally. Sinovac can produce 30 million doses of the vaccine a year.

The Chinese government plans to vaccinate⁴ 65 million people against H1N1 this year. The World Health Organization says countries in the northern hemisphere already have ordered more than one billion doses of swine flu vaccine.

Vivian Tan, the spokeswoman for the WHO in China, says the main benefit of a one-dose vaccine is that it is possible to vaccinate twice as many people. But she says the approval of the Sinovac vaccine does not mean supplies will be sufficient.

"Generally in the initial months there will not be enough vaccine produced for the world, that's for sure, because the global production capacity of vaccines just cannot meet the need as we stand today," Tan said. "That's why it's really important for countries to prioritize the groups that should receive the vaccine first."

Tan says the WHO suggests health care workers should be among the first vaccinated⁵, because they are on the front-line of fighting the virus. Other priority groups include people with underlying⁶ chronic⁷ conditions like diabetes⁸, asthma⁹ or cardiovascular problems. Pregnant women also seem to be more vulnerable to H1N1.

China's State Food and Drug Administration says trials of Sinovac's vaccine shows it is "very safe." The regulatory agency is expected to decide by mid-September whether to approve applications from nine other companies developing H1N1 vaccines.

China is a global manufacturing center for pharmaceuticals¹⁰, but there have been cases when companies substituted cheaper or even lethal¹¹ ingredients. Tan says as long as proper procedures are followed to ensure the safety and efficacy of Sinovac's vaccine there should be no reason to worry.

"That said, I think it's very important to continue to monitor the situation once mass vaccination¹² starts because so far the vaccine has only been tested in small groups and clinical trials," she said.

Tan says there are over 3,000 cases of H1N1 in China but no fatalities¹³, so she thinks health authorities are handling the situation well.

This strain of flu has appeared in almost every country since being identified earlier this year. The WHO estimates 2,185 people have died of the virus.

1 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。

2 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。

3 maker   

n.制造者，制造商

参考例句：

• He is a trouble maker，You must be distant with him.他是个捣蛋鬼，你不要跟他在一起。
• A cabinet maker must be a master craftsman.家具木工必须是技艺高超的手艺人。

4 vaccinate   

vt.给…接种疫苗；种牛痘

参考例句：

• Local health officials then can plan the best times to vaccinate people.这样，当地的卫生官员就可以安排最佳时间给人们接种疫苗。
• Doctors vaccinate us so that we do not catch smallpox.医生给我们打预防针使我们不会得天花。

5 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？

6 underlying   

adj.在下面的，含蓄的，潜在的

参考例句：

• The underlying theme of the novel is very serious.小说隐含的主题是十分严肃的。
• This word has its underlying meaning.这个单词有它潜在的含义。

7 chronic   

adj.(疾病)长期未愈的，慢性的；极坏的

参考例句：

• Famine differs from chronic malnutrition.饥荒不同于慢性营养不良。
• Chronic poisoning may lead to death from inanition.慢性中毒也可能由虚弱导致死亡。

8 diabetes   

n.糖尿病

参考例句：

• In case of diabetes, physicians advise against the use of sugar.对于糖尿病患者，医生告诫他们不要吃糖。
• Diabetes is caused by a fault in the insulin production of the body.糖尿病是由体內胰岛素分泌失调引起的。

9 asthma   

n.气喘病，哮喘病

参考例句：

• I think he's having an asthma attack.我想他现在是哮喘病发作了。
• Its presence in allergic asthma is well known.它在过敏性气喘中的存在是大家很熟悉的。

10 pharmaceuticals   

n.医药品；药物( pharmaceutical的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• the development of new pharmaceuticals 新药的开发
• The companies are pouring trillions of yen into biotechnology research,especially for pharmaceuticals and new seeds. 这些公司将大量资金投入生物工艺学研究，尤其是药品和新种子方面。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 lethal   

adj.致死的；毁灭性的

参考例句：

• A hammer can be a lethal weapon.铁锤可以是致命的武器。
• She took a lethal amount of poison and died.她服了致命剂量的毒药死了。

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 fatalities   

n.恶性事故( fatality的名词复数 )；死亡；致命性；命运

参考例句：

• Several people were injured, but there were no fatalities. 有几个人受伤，但没有人死亡。
• The accident resulted in fatalities. 那宗意外道致多人死亡。 来自《简明英汉词典》