VOA常速英语2019--麻疹传染性不可小觑

Many people think of measles¹ as just another virus, but measles can kill. It can also cause permanent blindness, deafness and brain damage to those who survive and it spreads like wildfire. Measles is incredibly contagious². Once it gets around the community, it’s very difficult be, because it’s airborne. The disease is spread by coughing and sneezing. The virus can stay in the air or on surfaces for two hours. If a person with measles is in a room with ten other people who are unvaccinated, nine of them will get measles. And it’s not always obvious who can spread the disease.

很多人认为麻疹只是另一种病毒而已，但麻疹可要人性命。麻疹可以让幸存者永久性失明、失聪、脑部损伤，而且其传播速度迅猛。麻疹传染性很强。一旦进入社群，就很难控制，因为麻疹可通过空气传播。麻疹的传播是通过咳嗽和打喷嚏。麻疹病毒可以滞留在空气中或物体表面2小时的时间。如果麻疹患者跟10个人共处一室，而且这10人没打疫苗，那么其中的9个人会被传染麻疹。而且麻疹病人通常不易识别。

Somebody can transmit measles for days before they have the rash. That means they can transmit it even before they know that they’re infectious. Child coming in the prodrome of measles will look like any other child with a cold. You know other runny nose in a coughing won’t have that rash for four days. Measles is especially dangerous for babies and young children. It is very difficult to protect children during a measles outbreak, if they have not been vaccinated⁴. The rash is companied by a high fever. The best protection is a vaccine⁵. We have a fantastic vaccine against measles. The vaccine has been around for over 50 years. Hundreds of millions of children have received this vaccine and are now healthy thriving adults. In large part, because they didn’t die of measles, because they got vaccine. The World Health Organization says the number of people who had measles in 2018 is greater than the number of cases for 2017. It’s largely due to choice. In developed countries, some parents choose not to vaccinate³ their children. In poor countries, parents don’t always have the choice to vaccinate.

患者可能作为传染源待了数天后，自己身上才会出现皮疹。也就是说，麻疹患者在还不知自己得了麻疹的情况下就已经是传染源了。患有麻疹的儿童，其前驱症状与感冒很像。但大家都知道，即便流鼻涕加咳嗽，也不会身上起疹子长达几天之久。麻疹对于婴儿和儿童来说尤其危险。麻疹爆发期间很难保护儿童。麻疹爆发期间，很难保护儿童不被感染，除非事先接种了疫苗。起皮疹还伴随着高烧。最好的防护手段就是接种疫苗。对抗麻疹，我们有一种效果极佳的疫苗。这种疫苗是50多年前研发出来的。上亿名儿童已经接种了这种疫苗，现在，他们已经是身体健壮的成年人了。从很大程度上说，他们没有感染麻疹而死，就是因为接种了疫苗。世卫组织（WHO）称，2018年，麻疹患者的数量超过了2017年的数量。这主要是由于大家自己的抉择。在发达国家，一些父母选择不为孩子接种疫苗。而贫穷国家的父母连选择的机会都没有。

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 contagious   

adj.传染性的，有感染力的

参考例句：

• It's a highly contagious infection.这种病极易传染。
• He's got a contagious laugh.他的笑富有感染力。

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 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。