欧洲麻疹导致35名儿童死亡

Measles¹ Kills 35 Children in Europe; Outbreak in Minnesota Not Over

Thirty-five European children have died from measles in the past 12 months in what the World Health Organization calls an "unacceptable" tragedy. The deaths could have been prevented by a vaccine². A measles outbreak in Minnesota sent nearly two dozen people to the hospital. Still, some parents in developed countries continue to believe false reports that the measles vaccine causes autism. And now a number of parents are refusing to get their children vaccinated⁴ for other diseases as well.

A vaccine ended small pox. Another vaccine is close to ending polio. Vaccines⁵ prevent the flu, hepatitis, liver cancer, cervical, oral and penile cancers and a dozen or so other diseases. They have saved countless⁶ lives and prevented enormous suffering. Scientists are now working on vaccines for AIDS, malaria⁷ and tuberculosis⁸.

Dr. Flavia Bustreo is an outspoken⁹ advocate for immunizations at the World Health Organization.

"Immunization and vaccines are the most powerful public health tools that we have," said Bustreo.

One of the most effective vaccines available, to prevent measles, mumps¹⁰ and rubella, is meeting resistance from many parents because of a debunked¹¹ study that linked the vaccine to autism. Yet some parents oppose all vaccines. Gabriella Cashman is hoping to start a family soon, and says she is not going to give any vaccines to her children.

“We don’t want anybody to force anything on our children. As parents, it’s our decision whether or not we want to vaccinate³," she said.

In the U.S., the issue goes beyond autism. It's become a parents' rights issue. Dr. Peter Hotez is an immunologist who develops vaccines for tropical diseases at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.

“In the state of Texas, we now have 50,000 kids whose parents are opting¹² them out of getting vaccinated,” he said.

Dr. Hope Scott says all pediatricians strongly favor vaccines. The topic is very personal to her, because she lost a daughter to pneumococcal meningitis five years before a vaccine became available.

"I’d give a million dollars and my right arm to have the opportunity to vaccinate my child and save her life. ... And I didn’t have that opportunity. And I have a hard time understanding why people choose to not protect their children," she said.

Doctors and other health professionals are sometimes at a loss when it comes to convincing parents that vaccines will keep their children healthy. As director of the National Institute of Allergy¹³ and Infectious Diseases, Dr. Anthony Fauci oversees¹⁴ programs to immunize and care for people around the globe who suffer from infectious diseases. His institute funds the research and development of vaccines for AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis and other infectious diseases.

"I think the approach toward people who are anti-vaccinating¹⁵ is to respect their opinion and don’t denigrate¹⁶ them and don’t criticize them, but try to explain to them on the basis of solid evidence why the risk benefit of vaccines clearly, clearly — very, very heavily — leans toward vaccinating your children," he said.

In a column written for The Seattle Times newspaper, autism expert Annette Este said health professionals need to "urgently find a way out of our impasse¹⁷ and rediscover the connections between" those who oppose immunizations and the medical community.

The American Medical Association has adopted a policy to continue efforts to promote public understanding and confidence in the safety of vaccines. Some European countries are now making vaccines against measles and other diseases mandatory¹⁸. Meanwhile, the measles outbreak in Minnesota is not over. A 19-year-old whose parents opposed vaccinations¹⁹ is Minnesota's 79th case.

1 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。

2 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。

3 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。

4 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？

5 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。

6 countless   

adj.无数的，多得不计其数的

参考例句：

• In the war countless innocent people lost their lives.在这场战争中无数无辜的人丧失了性命。
• I've told you countless times.我已经告诉你无数遍了。

7 malaria   

n.疟疾

参考例句：

• He had frequent attacks of malaria.他常患疟疾。
• Malaria is a kind of serious malady.疟疾是一种严重的疾病。

8 tuberculosis   

n.结核病，肺结核

参考例句：

• People used to go to special health spring to recover from tuberculosis.人们常去温泉疗养胜地治疗肺结核。
• Tuberculosis is a curable disease.肺结核是一种可治愈的病。

9 outspoken   

adj.直言无讳的，坦率的，坦白无隐的

参考例句：

• He was outspoken in his criticism.他在批评中直言不讳。
• She is an outspoken critic of the school system in this city.她是这座城市里学校制度的坦率的批评者。

10 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。

11 debunked   

v.揭穿真相，暴露( debunk的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• His theories have been debunked by recent research. 最近的研究揭穿了他的理论的真相。
• Some advertising slogans should be debunked. 某些夸大的广告用语应予揭露。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 opting   

v.选择，挑选( opt的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• What courses are most students opting for? 多数学生选什么课程？ 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Wells doesn't rule out opting out and then re-signing with Houston. 威尔斯没有排除跳出合同再与火箭重签的可能。 来自互联网

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 oversees   

v.监督，监视( oversee的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• She oversees both the research and the manufacturing departments. 她既监督研究部门又监督生产部门。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The Department of Education oversees the federal programs dealing with education. 教育部监管处理教育的联邦程序。 来自互联网

15 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。

16 denigrate   

v.诬蔑，诽谤

参考例句：

• It was unkind to denigrate her achievement.贬低她的成就是刻薄的。
• To assert this is to denigrate the effectiveness of the police.坚持这一点就是贬低警方的办事能力。

17 impasse   

n.僵局；死路

参考例句：

• The government had reached an impasse.政府陷入绝境。
• Negotiations seemed to have reached an impasse.谈判似乎已经陷入僵局。

18 mandatory   

adj.命令的；强制的；义务的；n.受托者

参考例句：

• It's mandatory to pay taxes.缴税是义务性的。
• There is no mandatory paid annual leave in the U.S.美国没有强制带薪年假。

19 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》