世卫组织表示马达加斯加鼠疫疫情可能会蔓延

    From VOA Learning English, this is the Health Report.
    这里是美国之音慢速英语健康报道。

    For much of 2014, health officials around the world have been guarding against Ebola virus.
    在2014年的大部分时间里,世界各地的卫生官员一直都在防范埃博拉病毒。

    There is another disease that can cause as much attention and fear – the plague.
    还有一种疾病能够引起足够多的关注和恐惧,那就是鼠疫。

    Last week, the World Health Organization reported on cases of plague in the island nation of Madagascar. WHO officials warned the disease could spread throughout the country.
    上周,世卫组织报告了岛国马达加斯加的鼠疫病例。世卫组织官员警告说,这种疾病可能会在该国到处蔓延。

    Madagascar's health ministry reported in November that the plague has killed nearly 50 people. And it said over 130 people are thought to be infected.
    马达加斯加卫生部11月报告称,鼠疫已经造成将近50人丧命,据认还有130多人被感染。

    Just the word plague alone calls up images of the Black Death hundreds of years ago. The Black Plague killed more than 25 million people in Medieval Europe.
    单单是鼠疫这个词就会让人想起数百年前的黑死病。黑死病造成了中世纪欧洲超过2500万人死亡。

    Madagascar is far from that number.
    马达加斯加距离那一数字尚远。

    But the World Health Organization reports that the plague could infect many people. So, the WHO is working with health officials in Madagascar to contain the outbreak.
    但是世卫组织报告称,鼠疫可能会感染很多人。因此,世卫组织正与马达加斯加的卫生官员合作加以控制疫情。

    The plague is not new to Madagascar. It seems to reappear in the country every year.
    鼠疫对马达加斯加来说并不陌生。它似乎每年都会在该国重现。

    However, the WHO's Christian Lindmeier says the U.N. health agency is very concerned about this outbreak. He says the number of cases of plague appears to be higher than in recent years.
    然而,世卫组织的克里斯蒂安·林德梅尔(Christian Lindmeier)表示,联合国卫生机构非常关注这次鼠疫爆发。他说,鼠疫病例数量似乎比近几年要高。

    "Cases have been reported in 16 districts of seven regions. In Antananarivo, the capital and largest city in Madagascar, also two recorded cases have been identified, including one death."
    “有7个行政区的16个地区都报告了鼠疫病例。作为马达加斯加首都和最大城市的塔那那利佛市也有两人确诊,其中一人死亡。

    Mr. Lindmeier says the disease could spread quickly because of the city's high population and the weakness of the health care system. Another problem is that the insects spreading the disease are becoming resistant to the chemical product designed to kill them.
    林德梅尔先生表示,由于城市人口密集和卫生保健系统薄弱,这种疾病可能会迅速蔓延。另一个问题是,传播这种疾病的昆虫对旨在杀死它们的化学成品开始产生抗药性。

    The first case of the plague was identified on August 31. The patient died three days later. However, the health officials in Madagascar did not report the outbreak to the WHO until November 4.
    首起鼠疫病例于8月31日确诊。这名患者在3天后过世。然而直到11月4日马达加斯加卫生官员才向世卫组织报告这一疫情。

    Christian Lindmeier says measures for the control and prevention of plague are being put into effect in the affected areas. He says personal protective equipment, insecticides and antibiotics are being made available in those areas.
    林德梅尔先生表示,控制和预防鼠疫的措施正在受感染地区付诸实施。他说,正在向这些地区提供个人防护装备、杀虫剂和抗生素。

    He says a WHO expert has gone to Madagascar to work with the health officials there. They plan to fully investigate the situation to see what more needs to be done to bring the disease under control.
    他说,世卫组织一位专家已经前往马达加斯加同当地卫生官员一起合作。他们计划进行全面调查,看看要控制疫情还需要采取哪些措施。

    "Plague can be a very severe disease in people with a case fatality ratio of 30 to 60 percent if left untreated. Plague is caused by the bacteria Yersinia pestis, a zoonotic bacteria usually found in small animals and their fleas. People infected with plague usually develop flu-like symptoms after an incubation period of three to seven days."
    “如果不及时治疗,鼠疫会成为一种非常严重的疾病,致死率达30%到60%。鼠疫是由鼠疫耶尔森氏菌导致的,这是一种人畜共通细菌,通常在小动物及其跳蚤身上被发现。鼠疫感染者通常在3到7天的潜伏期后出现流感样症状。”

    Humans bitten by an infected flea usually develop a bubonic form of plague. It causes the swelling, or enlargement, of lymph nodes. If the bacteria reach the lungs, the patient develops pneumonia. The disease can spread from person to person through infected droplets spread by coughing.
    人类被受感染的跳蚤叮咬后通常会患上腺鼠疫。它会造成淋巴结肿大。如果细菌达到肺部,患者就会患上肺炎。这种疾病可以经由咳嗽,通过受感染飞沫在人与人之间传播。

    Bubonic plague can be successfully treated with antibiotic drugs if caught early. But the WHO says pneumonic plague is one of the most deadly infectious diseases. It can kill patients within 24 hours after infection. To date, WHO says only two percent of reported cases are of the pneumonic form.
    如果发现得早,腺鼠疫可以通过抗生素药物成功治愈。但世卫组织表示,肺鼠疫是最致命的传染病之一。它能在感染后的24小时内杀死患者。世卫组织表示,到目前为止,只有2%的报告病例是肺鼠疫。

    I'm Anna Matteo.
    我是安娜·马特奥(Anna Matteo)。(51VOA.COM对本文翻译保留全部权利,未经授权请勿转载,违者必究!)