VOA常速英语2015--埃博拉疫苗试验在西非进行

Ebola Vaccine¹ Trials Underway in West Africa 埃博拉疫苗试验在西非进行

Ebola has claimed the lives of more than 10,000 people in West Africa. Since last summer, researchers have rushed to get anti-Ebola vaccines² into clinical trials. While it's too early to say that any of the potential vaccines work, some scientists say they are seeing strong results from some of the studies.

埃博拉已经在西非夺去了一万多人的生命。去年夏天开始，研究人员就加紧把埃博拉病毒疫苗投入临床试验。尽管现在还看不出哪一种疫苗有效，但是一些科学人员说，他们从部分研究中发现了很有力的结果。

It's ironic³...just as the Ebola epidemic⁴ in West Africa seems to be waning⁵, clinical trials of potential vaccines are underway there.

西非的埃博拉疫情看起来有所好转，但潜在疫苗的临床试验也在那里进行。

A vaccine candidate is currently being tested in Guinea, where the Ebola virus is still active. Those likely to get the vaccine are medical workers and people who have been exposed to the virus.

一种候选疫苗目前正在几内亚接受测试，那里的埃博拉病毒仍然很活跃。这种疫苗的可能接种对象是医务工作者和暴露在病毒环境中的人。

Liberia has so few new Ebola cases that a clinical vaccine trial started there may be continued in Sierra Leone or Guinea.

由于利比里亚的埃博拉新病例极少，在那里开始的疫苗临床试验可能会转移到塞拉利昂或几内亚。

At Emory University in the U.S., an investigational⁶ vaccine was given to an American doctor who may have been exposed to the virus at an Ebola treatment unit in Sierra Leone. Dr. Mark Mulligan reported the effects of the vaccine in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

在美国艾莫利大学，一位曾在塞拉利昂的埃博拉治疗单位工作过的美国医生接种了一种调查型疫苗。马克·马利根医生在美国医学会杂志上介绍了这种疫苗的作用。

“We saw strong responses from the innate⁷ immune system, the immediate⁸ responses, the first defenders⁹ in our body, and also from the subsequent antibodies and T cells that we want a vaccine to produce," said Mulligan.

他说：“我们发现先天免疫系统反应强烈而迅速。这种反应来自于我们身体的第一层守卫，也来自我们希望疫苗产生的后续抗体和T淋巴细胞。”

The patient did not develop the Ebola virus, and he may not have been infected, but the immune response is what doctors hoped to see.

这个病人身体中的埃博拉病毒没有发展，他可能没有被感染，但是免疫系统的反应是医生们希望看到的。

Dr. Thomas Geisbert was one of the researchers who developed this potential vaccine. Despite reports that researchers are closing in on an effective vaccine, he says there's still a lot of work to do.

托马斯·盖斯伯特医生是这种潜在疫苗的研究者之一。尽管报告显示研究者们就快成功了，盖斯伯特医生说还有许多工作要做。

"A lot of these different vaccines and treatments were developed against one species of Ebola, and a particular strain of that species, so there are five different species of Ebola virus. Three of those cause disease and morbidity¹⁰, mortality in man," said Geisbert.

他说：“许多不同的疫苗和疗法都是用来对抗一种埃博拉病毒和一种特定菌株的，但是一共有五种不同的埃博拉病毒。他们中的三种可以致病和致命。”

Dr. Geisbert says a vaccine that might work against the Zaire Ebola virus, the species circulating in west Africa, might not work against against another type of deadly Ebola virus.

盖斯伯特医生说，疫苗或许可以对抗在西非传播的扎伊尔埃博拉病毒，而对其他种类的致命埃博拉病毒可能无效。

But, if the vaccines are proven to work, Dr. Jesse Goodman says they could still be used in West Africa.

但是杰西·古德曼医生说，如果疫苗被证明有效，他们可以继续在西非使用。

"It could benefit people if this outbreak went the wrong way again. And, even more importantly, these could be incredibly important tools for future outbreaks," said Goodman.

The results of the vaccine trial in Guinea could be available in July.

几内亚的疫苗试验结果将在7月份揭晓。

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 ironic   

adj.讽刺的，有讽刺意味的，出乎意料的

参考例句：

• That is a summary and ironic end.那是一个具有概括性和讽刺意味的结局。
• People used to call me Mr Popularity at high school,but they were being ironic.人们中学时常把我称作“万人迷先生”，但他们是在挖苦我。

4 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。

5 waning   

adj.（月亮）渐亏的，逐渐减弱或变小的n.月亏v.衰落( wane的现在分词 )；（月）亏；变小；变暗淡

参考例句：

• Her enthusiasm for the whole idea was waning rapidly. 她对整个想法的热情迅速冷淡了下来。
• The day is waning and the road is ending. 日暮途穷。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

6 investigational   

[医]调查研究的

参考例句：

• Investigational New Drug Application (IND) for the compound. 为化合物的研究中的新药物申请(IND)。
• He said it representsan investigational H.I. 一位博士说：我们已经向成功迈出了重要的一步。

7 innate   

adj.天生的，固有的，天赋的

参考例句：

• You obviously have an innate talent for music.你显然有天生的音乐才能。
• Correct ideas are not innate in the mind.人的正确思想不是自己头脑中固有的。

8 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

9 defenders   

n.防御者( defender的名词复数 )；守卫者；保护者；辩护者

参考例句：

• The defenders were outnumbered and had to give in. 抵抗者寡不敌众，只能投降。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• After hard fighting,the defenders were still masters of the city. 守军经过奋战仍然控制着城市。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 morbidity   

n.病态；不健全；发病；发病率

参考例句：

• MC's also significantly reduce the morbidity and mortality induced by honeybee venom. 肥大细胞同样也能显著降低蜜蜂毒液诱发疾病的发病率和死亡率。 来自互联网
• The result shows that incidence of myopia morbidity is 44.84%. 结果表明：近视眼的发病率为44.84%。 来自互联网