VOA慢速英语2017 抗击病毒，疫苗是希望

VOA英语学习健康与生活方式报道。

In 2016, three viruses made news, and they present difficult problems for health officials in the New Year.

2016年有三种病毒在新年来临之际为健康官员带来了新的难题。

One virus threatens babies in many parts of the world.Another has reappeared in an African nation. And a third is one of the deadliest viruses of modern times.

其中一种病毒让全球各地的婴儿饱受威胁。另外一种在非洲国家再次猖獗起来。第三种病毒是当代最致死的病毒之一。

The three viruses are Zika, polio and HIV.However, in 2016 scientists and researchers from all over the world worked to make progress against those viruses and to develop better ways to control them.

三种病毒是指寨卡病毒、脊髓灰质炎病毒和人类免疫缺陷病毒（HIV）。但是，全球的科学家以及研究人员在2016年一起致力于在抵御这些病毒方面取得进步，并寻求更好的方式来控制这些病毒。

The spread of the Zika virus caused public health officials in many nations to put in place strong measures to control its spread.Brazil, which hosted the 2016 Summer Olympic Games, was hit hard by the virus. Health officials warned pregnant women against traveling to the sporting event.

寨卡病毒不断扩散，很多国家的卫生官员都采取了更加强有力的措施控制其扩散。2016年夏季奥林匹克运动会在巴西举行，巴西是寨卡病毒的重灾区。卫生官员做出警示，孕妇请勿到此观看比赛盛事。

Zika is usually a mild illness.It is so mild that most people who are infected do not know they have it.

寨卡表现出来的都是轻微症状。因此很多感染病毒的人都意识不到已经感染该病毒。

However, in the past two years in the Western Hemisphere, Zika has been linked to babies being born with extremely small heads.This condition is called microcephaly. The international medical community found that this link to birth defects makes Zika a very dangerous virus.

但是，在过去两年之间，寨卡病毒在西半球已经与小头婴儿联系起来了。这被称作是头小畸形症。寨卡病毒与头小畸形之间存在联系，因此国际医学界认为寨卡病毒是种非常危险的病毒。

Zika first appeared in Uganda more than 60 years ago.It is spread by mosquitos and by sex.

寨卡病毒于60多年前初见于乌干达。通过蚊虫及性传播。

The virus recently appeared in Brazil.Then cases appeared in other countries to the North.Cases were reported in the United States in the southern state of Florida.Health officials in Texas are also concerned the virus might be spreading there.

目前，巴西也出现了寨卡病毒。随后北部的几个国家也陆续出现了该病毒。美国南部的佛罗里达州也出现了寨卡病毒案例。德克萨斯州的卫生官员也担心寨卡病毒会扩散至此。

Dr. Anthony Costello is with the World Health Organization.He says that even one child affected by zika has a very big impact on community resources and a family’s ability to deal with the results.Costello considers the disabilities caused by zika to be a “huge blow” to families.

安东尼·科斯特洛医生在世界卫生组织工作。他表示，即使是一个孩子感染寨卡病毒，都会对社区资源以及一个家庭处理此后果的能力造成很大影响。科斯特洛表示由寨卡病毒造成的残疾对家庭来说是个重大的打击。

“It is a public health problem of huge concern for the world.Sixty-nine countries have seen Zika virus emerge in the last two years.We are talking about a virus that causes brain damage and potentially lifelong disability which is a huge blow to families.”

“对全世界来说，这都是个重大的卫生问题。过去两年间，69个国家都出现了寨卡病毒案例。我们谈论的病毒是会造成脑损伤，并有可能造成终身残疾给家庭带来重大伤害的病毒。”

Doctors can only advise women to be careful. They advise women not to travel to areas where the virus is spreading, to avoid mosquito bites or to delay pregnancy.

医生们只能建议女性们小心一些。他们建议女性不要到有寨卡病毒的地方旅行，避免蚊虫叮咬，或者建议女性推迟孕期。

Currently there is no vaccine against Zika.However, one could be available by 2018.

目前还未有寨卡病毒疫苗。但有望在2018年研制成功。

The return of a virus once thought to be gone or eliminated made news in 2016.

之前人们认为小儿麻痹症已经完全消除，但目前小儿麻痹症再次出现，成了2016年的大事。

The polio virus returned in Africa’s most populated country - Nigeria.Continuing violence in the northern part of Nigeria had made it difficult for all children to get vaccinated.At a time when Nigeria was thought to be almost polio-free, three children were diagnosed with the virus.

非洲人口最密集的国家尼日利亚再次出现了脊髓灰质炎病毒（也叫小儿麻痹症病毒）。尼日利亚北部地区连年的暴力冲突导致很多儿童都无法接种疫苗。人们认为尼日利亚几乎不再有脊髓灰质炎病毒，但就在此时，三名儿童被确诊携带该病毒。

Polio continues to exist in another conflict area: along the border of Pakistan and Afghanistan.

巴基斯坦及阿富汗边界地带等冲突地区也是小儿麻痹症的重灾区。

But vaccination efforts continue to give health officials hope that polio can finally be eliminated.

但接种疫苗的努力不断为卫生官员带来希望，即小儿麻痹症最终是可以消除的。

Polio infections have decreased by 99 percent since 1988.In that year, there were about 350,000 cases.In 2016, there were fewer than 40.

自1988年起，脊髓灰质炎病毒的感染已经下降了99%。1988年时，有350000感染案例。2016年只有不到40的案例。

In December, Dr. Anthony Fauci of the National Institutes of Health discussed testing of an experimental vaccine for HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.

12月份，国立卫生研究院的安东尼·弗契医生谈及了预防HIV病毒的疫苗，艾滋病即由HIV病毒引起的。

Testing on a vaccine started in South Africa.The National Institutes of Health is partly funding the effort.However, Fauci warns that the process will take time and effort.

南非最先开始对疫苗进行了检测。国立卫生院为此提供了部分资金。但是，弗契表示这项过程还需要花费时间和精力。

“An HIV vaccine is not going to be easy. We may not even know if we’re going to get a vaccine.”

“研制HIV疫苗并非易事。我们甚至不知道是否能够研制出疫苗。”

He adds improvements in treatments for AIDS have lengthened the lives of those who have the disease.

他补充道艾滋病疗法的进步已经延长了艾滋病患者的寿命。

Today, the combinations of therapies we have for individuals - for someone who is in their 20s and gets infected and comes in and gets on a combination of drugs - you could predict that they would live an additional 50 years, 5-0. That is one of the most extraordinary advances in the transition from basic research to an applicable intervention in any field of medicine.

“目前，我们对一些个人采取联合疗法，这些二十来岁感染艾滋病的人住院之后会服用一些药物组合—可以预测这些人可以再活50年。这是医学界从基本研究到适用干预转变过程中的重大进步。”

An effective HIV vaccine could finally mean the end for the deadly virus.HIV has infected more than 70 million people and has killed 35 million people over the past 50 years.

有效的HIV疫苗意味着该病毒最终将会终结。过去50年间，有7000多万人感染了艾滋病病毒，并有3500万人死于艾滋病。