(单词翻译:单击)
听力文本
From VOA Learning English, this is the Health Report.
Is a new deadly polio virus hiding somewhere in the world? Some scientists believe this might be the case.
Polio does not usually kill. The disease can cause paralysis, leaving victims unable to walk or move parts of their bodies.
But polio was deadly during a 2010 spread of the virus in the Republic of Congo. Nearly half of the 445 people infected with the virus died.
VOA's Steve Baragona reports that new research says there might have been a weak spot in the polio vaccine. A mutated, or changed, polio virus was able to resist the antibodies created by the vaccine. The study says a mutated polio virus was responsible for that unusually deadly outbreak.
The researchers of the study say their findings show new and dangerous kinds, or strains, of polio may emerge as the goal of getting rid of the virus nears.
Scientist Felix Drexler studies viruses at the University of Bonn in Germany. He says the patients in the Congo outbreak were unusual in an important way.
"About half of them remembered having taken three doses of live vaccine. That made it even more bizarre, because if they had been vaccinated, they shouldn't be sick."
Mr. Drexler and researchers in Europe and Africa studied that polio virus. They found it had some new mutations. The mutations prevented antibodies that fight the virus from attaching to the virus.
"We thought, ‘Wow, maybe that could affect the ability of the antibodies in human blood to neutralize the virus.' And yes,it did."
The researchers reported their findings in the publication, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. They tested the virus in Germany against blood samples from people with better than average vaccination coverage.
"Up to 30 percent actually had to be considered completely unprotected."
The Republic of Congo had been polio free before the 2010 outbreak. It took four nationwide immunization campaigns to stop the mutated virus.
Felix Drexler says the effort worked because almost every man, woman and child got vaccinated with the strongest form of the vaccine.
Historically, the polio vaccine has worked. But Mr. Drexler and others are now wondering how well it works.
"The question that the experts are asking is, is the vaccine good enough to enable us to eradicate polio virus?"
Experts say the end of polio is near. There have been fewer than 150 cases in the world this year. And the virus is found mostly in just three countries.
Olen Kew studies viruses with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. He says the problem in Congo was not the vaccine. He notes that the vaccine has prevented the polio virus everywhere it has been used. He blames Congo's civil unrest in the 1990s and early 2000s that had messed up vaccination campaigns.
"What happened in Congo was, it hadn't been used for quite a long period of time and a susceptible group opened up. And then when the virus was introduced, it had devastating effects."
Walt Orenstein is with the Emory Vaccine Center. He says stronger vaccines might be helpful. But, he adds, the end of polio is very close. He believes that the tools currently in use could do the job.
"I think the most important message, to me, is we need to push hard and push fast and terminate transmission as quickly as possible."
Mr. Orenstein says that health workers need to clear the last few areas where the polio virus exists. Then, he says, talk about mutant strains or stronger vaccines would be unnecessary.
I'm Anna Matteo.
VOA英文文本来自51VOA,译文由可可原创,未经许可请勿转载 。
词汇学习
1.deadly adj. 致命的,致死的
The authorities are looking into last week's deadly gas explosions.
当局正在调查上周发生的恶性瓦斯爆炸事件 。
2.resist v. 抵抗,抗拒;忍耐
Students should resist the temptation to focus on exams alone...
学生们应当抵制诱惑,集中精力备考 。
3.emerge vi. 出现,浮现
The chilling facts behind this veil of silence were slow to emerge.
沉默背后的骇人真相慢慢显露出来 。
4.bizarre adj. 离奇的;奇特的
The building was of bizarre construction.
这建筑构造奇异 。
5.neutralize vt. 使中立化;使无效
The US is trying to neutralize the resolution in the UN Security Council.
美国正试图在联合国安理会使该决议无效 。
6.wonder vi. 怀疑,想知道
I wonder if I might have a word with Mr Abbot?
请问我能否和阿博特先生说几句话?
7.eradicate vt. 摧毁;完全根除
The government is making efforts to eradicate racial discriminating.
政府正在努力消除种族歧视 。
内容解析
1.VOA's Steve Baragona reports that new research says there might have been a weak spot in the polio vaccine.
weak spot弱点
Skiing remained the weak spot of the Chinese team.
滑雪仍是中国队的弱项 。
2.The study says a mutated polio virus was responsible for that unusually deadly outbreak.
be responsible for为…负责,形成…的原因
Who will be responsible for the expedition's supplies?
谁将负责探险队的物资供应?
3.The researchers of the study say their findings show new and dangerous kinds, or strains, of polio may emerge as the goal of getting rid of the virus nears.
get rid of除掉,去掉
You seem in rather a hurry to get rid of me.
看起来你急于想摆脱我 。
4.He blames Congo's civil unrest in the 1990s and early 2000s that had messed up vaccination campaigns.
mess up弄乱,弄糟
He got another chance and didn't want to mess up again.
他又获得一次机会,这次他再也不愿意把事情弄糟了 。
参考翻译
美国之音慢速学英语节目,这里是健康报道
。是否有一种新型致命脊髓灰质炎病毒隐藏在世界某处?一些科学家相信或许是如此
。脊髓灰质炎病毒通常并不致命
。这种疾病会导致瘫痪,使患者不能行走,或者某些身体部位不能移动 。但是,2010年在刚果共和国传播的脊髓灰质炎病毒却是致命的
。445名感染该病毒的病人中有近一半死亡 。VOA的Steve Baragona报道称,新的研究表明脊髓灰质炎病毒疫苗或许存在瑕疵
。产生变异的脊髓灰质炎病毒能够抵抗疫苗产生的抗体 。该研究表示,不寻常的致命脊髓灰质炎病毒爆发是由变异的脊髓灰质炎病毒造成的 。这项研究的研究人员表示,他们的研究结果显示,随着根除该病毒的目标逐渐接近,新型而危险的脊髓灰质炎病毒菌株可能出现
。科学家Felix Drexler在德国波恩大学研究这种病毒
。他表示,刚果感染者的不同之处非常重要 。“大约半数的感染者记得自己曾接种三剂活疫苗
。这导致整件事更加怪诞,因为如果他们接种了疫苗就不应该生病 。”Drexler和欧洲以及非洲的研究人员对脊髓灰质炎病毒进行了研究
。他们发现出现了一些新的突变 。这些突变阻止抵抗该病毒的抗体附着在病毒上 。“我们想,‘哇,或许这会影响人体血液中的抗体中和病毒的能力
。’事实果然如此 。”研究人员的结果发表在《美国国家科学院院刊》上
。他们在德国抽取了接种率高于平均水平的人群的血液样本,对该病毒进行了检测 。“高达30%的人被认为完全没有受到疫苗保护
。”在2010年病毒大规模传播之前,刚果共和国是没有脊髓灰质炎病毒的
。刚果发起了四次全国范围的免疫运动,遏制该变异的病毒 。Felix Drexler表示,他们的努力奏效了,因为几乎男女老少每一个人都注射了最强的疫苗
。根据历史事实来看,脊髓灰质炎病毒疫苗发生了作用
。但是Drexler和其他人在思考疫苗能产生多大的作用 。“专家们询问的问题是,这种疫苗是否足够让我们根除脊髓灰质炎病毒?”
专家表示,脊髓灰质炎病毒的末日即将临近
。全世界共有不足150个病例 。该病毒主要存在三个国家 。Olen Kew在美国疾病防控中心研究该病毒
。他表示,刚果的问题并不是病毒 。他指出,在注射过的任何地方,疫苗都预防了脊髓灰质炎病毒 。他谴责上世纪90年代和2000初的国内动乱导致疫苗接种一片混乱
。“刚果的问题是,疫苗注射的时间并不长,从而产生了一波易感人群
。然后当这种病毒传入时就产生了破坏性的影响 。”Walt Orenstein是埃默里疫苗中心工作人员
。他表示,更强力的疫苗或许有帮助 。但是他补充说,脊髓灰质炎病毒的末日已经很近 。他相信目前使用的工具能够奏效 。“我认为,对我来说最重要的信息是,我们需要尽可能快速大力地终止病毒的传播
。”Orenstein表示,卫生工作者需要清理脊髓灰质炎病毒存活的最后几个地方
。届时,讨论变异菌株或更强力的疫苗就没必要了 。我是Anna Matteo
。