VOA慢速英语2019 疫苗专家称必须终止网络虚假信息

（单词翻译）

Vaccine¹ Expert: False Information on Web Must Be Stopped

The head of an international vaccine group says that misunderstandings and false information about vaccines² are spreading on the internet and should be stopped.

一家国际疫苗组织的负责人表示，关于疫苗的误解和虚假信息正在互联网上蔓延，应该予以制止。

Seth Berkley of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, spoke³ Tuesday to a gathering⁴ in Geneva, Switzerland, where the World Health Organization is meeting. Berkley said that false information “kills people.” He noted⁵ strong scientific evidence of the safety of vaccines.

全球疫苗免疫联盟的赛斯·伯克利(Seth Berkley)周二在瑞士日内瓦举行的世卫组织会议上发表了讲话。伯克利表示，虚假信息“害死人”。他指出了疫苗安全性强有力的科学证据。

But, he said social media algorithms favor misinformation over facts. He added that such misinformation easily influences people who have not had a family member die from a preventable disease.

但是他说社交媒体算法偏向于错误信息而不是事实。他还说，这种错误信息很容易影响到那些没有经历过家人死于可预防疾病的人群。

Berkley said people must consider the belief in misinformation as a contagious⁶ sickness.

伯克利表示，人们必须将错误观念视为一种传染病。

He added, “This is a disease.This spreads at the speed of light, literally⁷.”

他还说：“这简直是一种以光速传播的疾病。”

The World Health Organization says not enough people are getting the vaccine that prevents measles⁸. It says this is why the disease is spreading around the world.

世卫组织表示接种麻疹疫苗的人不够多，这是这种疾病在世界蔓延的原因。

The organization says vaccines save two million lives every year.

该组织表示，疫苗每年可以挽救200万人的性命。

Measles infections have risen sharply in countries that earlier had few cases, including the United States.

麻疹在早前几乎没有病例的国家的感染率急剧上升，其中就包括美国。

Seth Berkley argues that misinformation about vaccines is not a freedom of speech issue. He said Tuesday that social media companies should remove such content from their websites.

伯克利认为，关于疫苗的错误信息不是言论自由的问题。他周二表示，社交媒体公司应该从他们的网站上删除这些内容。

Alex Azar is Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. He made similar comments in his speech to the yearly meeting of the WHO. He said in the U.S., social media conspiracy⁹ groups confuse parents so they avoid getting needed vaccinations¹¹.

亚历克斯·阿扎尔（Alex Azar）是美国卫生与公共服务部的部长。他在世卫组织年会上的讲话中也发表过类似言论。他说，在美国，社交媒体上的阴谋组织迷惑了家长，所以他们都避免接种必要的疫苗。

The American official also spoke of U.S. efforts to strengthen immunization programs around the world. He said, “Just recently, the U.S. supported a mass measles vaccination¹⁰ campaign in Nigeria that reached almost 10 million kids. We assisted with a diphtheria outbreak among Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh.”

这位美国官员还谈到了美国加强全球免疫计划的努力。他说：“就在最近，美国支援尼日利亚开展了大规模麻疹疫苗接种活动，接种了近1000万名儿童。我们还向孟加拉国罗兴亚难民爆发白喉疫情提供了协助。”

And he noted U.S. support of recent research about the yellow fever vaccine.

他还提到美国支持了最近关于黄热病疫苗的研究。

Azar has rejected criticism of comments about vaccines made by U.S. president Donald Trump¹² before he became president. Trump posted on Twitter that vaccination could cause autism, a developmental disorder¹³.

阿扎尔拒绝批评美国总统川普在当选前发表的疫苗言论。川普在推特上称，疫苗会导致自闭症这种发育障碍。

“A study says @Autism is out of control – a 78% increase in 10 years. Stop giving monstrous¹⁴ combined vaccinations.”

川普在2012年写道：“有研究表明自闭症开始失控，过去10年内增加了78%。不要再接种骇人听闻的联合疫苗。”

Azar said that Trump was “extremely firm” in support of vaccinations.

阿扎尔表示，川普在支持疫苗方面“非常坚定。”

Canada’s Chief Public Health Officer Theresa Tam also spoke to the WHO delegates. She said health officials needed to do more about online misinformation. She said she was working on the issue with Twitter, Facebook, Google and other companies.

加拿大首席公共卫生官Theresa Tam(谭咏诗)也向世卫组织的代表们发表了讲话。她说，对网上的错误信息，卫生官员要做更多工作。她说，她正在同推特、脸书、谷歌等公司合作解决这个问题。

I’m Jonathan Evans.

Words in This Story

algorithm – n. a set of steps that are followed in order to solve a mathematical problem or to complete a computer process

contagious – adj. capable of being easily spread to others

literally – adv. (an adverb) used to express strong feeling while not being literally true.

conspiracy – n. a secret plan made by two or more people to do something that is harmful or illegal

confuse – v. to make something difficult to understand

monstrous – adj.? having extraordinary often overwhelming size