纽约时报 贫困国家陷入新旧疫情的两面夹击(3)（在线收听）

Many parents were convinced that the team was lying about the vaccine —

不少家长都确信，前来的小组在说谎——

that it was not for measles but, secretly, an experimental coronavirus vaccine,

他们带来的根本就不是麻疹疫苗，而是新冠肺炎的试验疫苗，

for which they would be unwitting guinea pigs.

他们是想拿自己当被蒙在鼓里的小白鼠。

In April, French-speaking Africa had been outraged by a French television interview

今年4月，某法国电视台的一期采访激起了也讲法语的非洲人民的震怒，

in which two researchers said coronavirus vaccines should be tested in Africa—

原因是有两名研究人员在采访中表示，新冠疫苗应该在非洲接受测试——

a remark that reignited memories of a long history of such abuses.

这一言论瞬时便唤起了非洲人民对曾经饱受类似虐待的那段漫长岁月的记忆。

And in Congo, the virologist in charge of the coronavirus response

在刚果（金），负责新冠疫情响应的病毒学家也称，

said that the country had indeed agreed to take part in clinical vaccine trials this summer.

该国其实已经同意参加今年夏天的疫苗临床试验。

Later, he clarified that any vaccine would not be tested in Congo until it had been tested elsewhere.

尽管他后来又澄清说，任何疫苗，没有在其他地方测试之前都不会被送到刚果进行测试。

But pernicious rumors had already spread.

但是，恶毒的谣言还是散播开了。

The team cajoled parents as best as they could.

（开展疫苗工作的）小组为了说服家长们可谓是用尽了心思。

Although vaccinators throughout Tshopo ultimately immunized 16,000 children, 2,000 others eluded them.

尽管整个乔波省的疫苗接种员最终完成了1.6万名儿童的疫苗接种工作，但还是有2000名儿童避开了他们。

This had been the year that Congo, the second-largest country in Africa, was to launch a national immunization program.

今年还是非洲第二大国家刚果（金）准备启动的国家免疫计划的开元之年。

The urgency could not have been greater.

疫苗工作已经紧迫到不能更紧迫。

The measles epidemic in the country, which started in 2018, has run on and on:

始于2018年的麻疹疫情一直在持续：

Since this January alone, there have been more than 60,000 cases and 800 deaths.

仅今年1月以来便已有6万多起病例，死亡人数多达800人。

Now, Ebola has again flared, in addition to tuberculosis and cholera, which regularly strike the country.

如今，除了定期席卷该国的结核病和霍乱外，埃博拉病毒也已再次爆发。

Vaccines exist for all these diseases, although they are not always available.

所有这些疾病都有疫苗，尽管当地并非总能获取到。

In late 2018, the country began an immunization initiative in nine provinces.

2018年年末，刚果（金）就已开始在9个省份开展疫苗接种活动。

It was a feat of coordination and initiative,

此举堪称是集协调配合与主观能动性于一体的一大壮举，

and in 2019, the first full year, the percentage of fully immunized children jumped from 42 to 62 percent in Kinshasa, the capital.

2019年，也既开展疫苗接种活动的第一整年，首都金沙萨接种完全套疫苗的儿童比例就已从42%跃升至62%。