From VOA Learning English, this is the Health Report in Special English.
这里是美国之音慢速英语健康报道。
Health officials in the United States are attempting to contact patients who recently received steroid injections for back pain. That is because the injections may have been carrying a fungus. Thousands of patients may be at risk of developing a rare form of fungal meningitis.
美国卫生官员正试图联系最近因为背部疼痛接受了类固醇注射的患者。这是因为这种注射剂可能携带了一种真菌。数千名患者可能患上一种罕见的真菌性脑膜炎。
Health officials reported Monday that fifteen people had died from fungal meningitis linked to steroid shots. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said there were more than two hundred confirmed cases of the disease in fifteen states. The majority of the cases were in three states: Tennessee, Michigan and Virginia.
卫生官员周一报告称，已经有15人死于和类固醇注射有关的真菌性脑膜炎。美国疾病控制和预防中心表示，已经在15个州发现了超过200例确诊病例，其中多数病例位于田纳西州，密歇根州和弗吉尼亚州这三个州。
Meningitis infects membranes that protect the brain and the spinal cord. There are five kinds of meningitis. Fungal meningitis is the rarest form of the disease. Other forms can result from bacteria, a virus or a parasite.
脑膜炎会感染保护大脑和脊髓的膜。当今有5种类型的脑膜炎，真菌性脑膜炎是最罕见的一种。其它类型的脑膜炎可以由细菌、病毒或寄生虫导致。
Last Thursday, officials reported that tests found evidence of the suspect fungus in more than fifty vials of the steroid. They said all those vials were manufactured by the New England Compounding Center in Massachusetts. The company has suspended operations and recalled all of its products for inspection.
上周四有关官员报告，通过测试在超过50瓶这种类固醇中发现了可疑真菌的证据。他们说，所有这些类固醇都是在马萨诸塞州的新英格兰化合制剂中心生产。该公司已经暂停运营，并召回所有产品进行检查。
Compounding or specialty pharmacies often custom-mix medicines at levels, and in forms, that may not be available from other manufacturers. Under Massachusetts law, compounding pharmacies are only permitted to make small amounts of made-to-order prescription drugs.
复合药房或特种药房通常定制各种级别和形式的药物，这些药物无法通过其它厂商获得。根据马萨诸塞州的法律，复合药房只允许生产少量的定制处方药。
The patients who developed meningitis were being treated for back pain. The Centers for Disease Control says others who received the injections in their joints are not thought to be at risk.
患上脑膜炎的患者当时正因背部疼痛在接受治疗。疾控中心表示，其他接受关节注射的患者被认为没有危险。
John Jernigan of the CDC is investigating the meningitis outbreak.
疾控中心的约翰·杰尼根（John Jernigan）正在调查脑膜炎疫情。
"CDC is working with state and local health departments to contact patients who may have received injections at the facilities who received the recalled lots of this medication to inform (them) that they, that they may have been exposed, to find out if they're having symptoms, and to instruct them to seek health care should they be ill."
“疾控中心正与州和地方卫生部门合作，联系在得到这种药物召回通知的机构注射过的患者，提醒他们可能已经暴露（于这种疾病中），以查出他们是否有症状，并指导患病者寻求医疗服务。”
Dr. Jernigan says there are many different signs of fungal meningitis.
杰尼根表示，真菌性脑膜炎有多种不同症状。
"Fever, new or worsening headache, sometimes neck stiffness. We've also seen in a few patients signs and symptoms of stroke, sudden onset of slurred speech, dizziness, difficulty walking, sudden weakness."
“发烧，新发头痛或头痛加剧，有时会颈部僵硬。我们还在一些患者中发现中风，突发口齿不清、头晕、行走困难，突感无力的症状和体征。”
Health experts say they do not know how many people will actually become sick. They say it could take several months for a fungal infection to develop.
健康专家表示，他们不知道实际上有多少人会患病。他们说，真菌感染的发展可能需要数月时间。
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