VOA慢速英语2019 全球抑制麻疹进程面临危险

（单词翻译）

Measles¹ Progress At Risk Worldwide

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

这里是VOA慢速英语健康生活报道。

Measles can spread easily from person to person, but it is a fully² preventable disease.

麻疹很容易在人与人之间传播，但这是一种完全可以预防的疾病。

The World Health Organization notes that a safe, effective vaccine³ has protected billions of children against measles over the past 50 years.

世界卫生组织（简称WHO）指出，过去50年，安全且有效的疫苗帮助数十亿儿童避免罹患麻疹。

However, all that progress is now at risk.

但是，现在所有这些进展都面临着危险。

Katherine O’Brien is the director of Immunization, Vaccines⁴ and Biologicals at the WHO. She says that progress is at risk because of a failure to vaccinate⁵ children in all parts of the world.

凯瑟琳·奥布莱恩是世界卫生组织免疫、疫苗和生物制品主任。她说，进展面临威胁，是因为世界所有地区都出现了儿童未能接种疫苗的情况。

"Measles as a virus is one of the most contagious⁶ infections that there is. For every case of measles that occurs in a setting where people are not immune, nine to 10 additional cases will occur simply because of exposure to that case."

“麻疹病毒是传染性最高的病毒之一。在没有免疫力的情况下感染的每例麻疹病例，10例新增病例中有9例都是因为接触而感染。”

Measles is a virus. It lives in the nose and throat mucus of an infected person. “It can spread to others through coughing and sneezing,” reports the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

麻疹是种病毒。它存在于感染者的鼻子和喉咙粘液中。美国疾病控制与预防中心的报告称，“麻疹可以通过咳嗽和打喷嚏传播。”

Measles is spread through droplets⁷ in the air. The virus can live for up to two hours on surfaces where the infected person coughed or sneezed. If other people touch the surface or breathe the same air, they can get sick.

麻疹通过空气中的飞沫传播。这种病毒可以在感染者通过咳嗽或打喷嚏所沾染物体的表面存活2个小时。如果其他人触摸到沾有病毒的物体表面或吸入了相同的空气，他们就会被感染。

Signs of the disease

麻疹症状

Signs of measles include:

麻疹的症状包括：

high body temperature

体温升高

coughing

咳嗽

runny nose

流鼻涕

red, watery⁸ eyes

眼睛发红、流泪

small, white areas on the inside of the mouth

口腔内出现小片白色区域

a discoloration of the skin (It begins on face and spreads downward.)

皮肤变色（一般先从面部开始，然后向下扩散）

A skin rash is the clearest sign that a person has the disease. However, the person can be contagious for up to four days before the rash appears. So, the infected person may not know they are sick and then pass the virus to others.

皮疹是感染麻疹的最明显症状。但是，皮疹可能会在感染麻疹四天后才出现。因此，感染者可能不知道自已患病，还会将病毒传染给他人。

How many cases worldwide?

全球有多少麻疹病例？

The WHO says 229,000 cases of measles were reported last year worldwide. But WHO officials are not sure of the exact number. They say the number of reported cases represents less than 10 percent of actual cases.

世界卫生组织表示，去年全球报告了约22.9万例麻疹。但是世卫组织官员不能确定具体数字。他们说，报告病例不到实际病例的10%。

So, the disease is infecting millions of other people. And millions are not getting vaccinated⁹. In 2017, the WHO reported that more than 19.9 million people were not protected against the measles.

因此，麻疹可能感染了数百万人。数百万人没有接种疫苗。2017年，世卫组织报告称，超过1990万人没有接种麻疹疫苗。

Katrina Kertsinger is a WHO medical officer in the Expanded Program on Immunization. She says there have been measles outbreaks in all parts of Africa, including the island of Madagascar.

凯瑟琳·克特辛格是世卫组织扩大免疫规划项目的医疗官员。她说，非洲各地都爆发了麻疹疫情，包括马达加斯加。

The WHO reports that in poor countries, many children do not get vaccinated because they do not live near health clinics. In wealthier countries, the measles vaccine is widely available. But some parents sometimes choose not to have their children vaccinated because of claims that the vaccine is dangerous.

世卫组织报告称，贫穷国家的许多儿童没有接种疫苗，因为他们不住在卫生诊所附近。在较富裕国家，麻疹疫苗得到了广泛普及。但是一些家长有时会选择不让孩子接种疫苗，因为他们认为疫苗存在危险。

Anti-vaxxer movement in the U.S.

美国的反疫苗运动

In the United States, health officials are urging parents to get their children vaccinated for measles. Some parents object to vaccines for moral, religious, personal or philosophical¹⁰ reasons.

美国卫生官员敦促家长让孩子接种麻疹疫苗。一些家长因为道德、宗教、个人或哲学原因而反对疫苗。

U.S. health experts announced 19 years ago that the disease was no longer a threat to the public. Yet 18 states give parents the right not to vaccinate their children.

19年前，美国健康专家宣布，麻疹已不再对公众构成威胁。但是美国仍有18个州允许父母选择是否为孩子接种疫苗。

One such state is Washington in the Pacific Northwest. A recent outbreak of measles there has health officials working hard to contain it. On February 5, there were 50 cases of measles reported in Washington.

采取这种做法的其中一个州是位于太平洋西北地区的华盛顿州。该州最近爆发了麻疹疫情，卫生官员正在努力控制疫情。2月5日，华盛顿州报告了50例麻疹病例。

In the U.S., rural areas often have higher numbers of unvaccinated children. But there are also large numbers in some big cities, such as Houston, Austin and Seattle.

通常，美国乡村地区未接种疫苗的儿童数量更多。但是休斯敦、奥斯汀和西雅图等大城市也有大量儿童没有接种疫苗。

Measles makes people very sick, and it is especially dangerous for young children. It can lead to other health problems such as pneumonia¹¹ or encephalitis. Encephalitis is a swelling¹², or enlargement, of the brain. It can be deadly or lead to permanent disability.

麻疹会让感染者病得非常重，对幼童来说尤为危险。麻疹还会导致肺炎或脑炎等其他健康问题。脑炎指大脑肿胀变大。这种疾病可能致死或导致永久残疾。

Doctors, including the U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams, are urging parents to get their children vaccinated.

包括美国卫生部长杰罗姆·亚当斯在内，医生一直在敦促父母让儿童接种疫苗。

"As the United States Surgeon General, I want everyone to know that the best protection against measles is getting vaccinated."

“作为美国卫生部长，我希望所有人都知道，预防麻疹的最佳方式就是接种疫苗。”

Words in This Story

contagious – adj. having a sickness that can be passed to someone else by touching¹³

immune – adj. not capable of being affected¹⁴ by a disease

exposure – n. the fact or condition of being subject to some effect or influence

mucus – n. a thick liquid that is produced in some parts of the body (such as the nose and throat)

cough – v. to force air through your throat with a short, loud noise often because you are sick

sneeze – v. to suddenly force air out through your nose and mouth with a usually loud noise because your body is reacting to dust, a sickness, etc.

rash – n. a group of red spots on the skin that is caused by an illness or a reaction to something

outbreak – n. a sudden start or increase of fighting or disease

anti-vaxxer - a person who opposes vaccinations or laws that mandate vaccination