(单词翻译:单击)
听力文本
Measles Progress At Risk Worldwide
From VOA Learning English, this is the Health & Lifestyle report.
Measles can spread easily from person to person, but it is a fully preventable disease.
The World Health Organization notes that a safe, effective vaccine has protected billions of children against measles over the past 50 years.
However, all that progress is now at risk.
Katherine O'Brien is the director of Immunization, Vaccines and Biologicals at the WHO. She says that progress is at risk because of a failure to vaccinate children in all parts of the world.
"Measles as a virus is one of the most contagious infections that there is. For every case of measles that occurs in a setting where people are not immune, nine to 10 additional cases will occur simply because of exposure to that case."
Measles is a virus. It lives in the nose and throat mucus of an infected person. "It can spread to others through coughing and sneezing," reports the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Measles is spread through droplets in the air. The virus can live for up to two hours on surfaces where the infected person coughed or sneezed. If other people touch the surface or breathe the same air, they can get sick.
Signs of the disease
Signs of measles include:
high body temperature
Coughing
runny nose
red, watery eyes
small, white areas on the inside of the mouth
a discoloration of the skin (It begins on face and spreads downward.)
A skin rash is the clearest sign that a person has the disease. However, the person can be contagious for up to four days before the rash appears. So, the infected person may not know they are sick and then pass the virus to others.
How many cases worldwide?
The WHO says 229,000 cases of measles were reported last year worldwide. But WHO officials are not sure of the exact number. They say the number of reported cases represents less than 10 percent of actual cases.
So, the disease is infecting millions of other people. And millions are not getting vaccinated. In 2017, the WHO reported that more than 19.9 million people were not protected against the measles.
Katrina Kertsinger is a WHO medical officer in the Expanded Program on Immunization. She says there have been measles outbreaks in all parts of Africa, including the island of Madagascar.
The WHO reports that in poor countries, many children do not get vaccinated because they do not live near health clinics. In wealthier countries, the measles vaccine is widely available. But some parents sometimes choose not to have their children vaccinated because of claims that the vaccine is dangerous.
Anti-vaxxer movement in the U.S.
In the United States, health officials are urging parents to get their children vaccinated for measles. Some parents object to vaccines for moral, religious, personal or philosophical reasons.
U.S. health experts announced 19 years ago that the disease was no longer a threat to the public. Yet 18 states give parents the right not to vaccinate their children.
One such state is Washington in the Pacific Northwest. A recent outbreak of measles there has health officials working hard to contain it. On February 5, there were 50 cases of measles reported in Washington.
In the U.S., rural areas often have higher numbers of unvaccinated children. But there are also large numbers in some big cities, such as Houston, Austin and Seattle.
Measles makes people very sick, and it is especially dangerous for young children. It can lead to other health problems such as pneumonia or encephalitis. Encephalitis is a swelling, or enlargement, of the brain. It can be deadly or lead to permanent disability.
Doctors, including the U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams, are urging parents to get their children vaccinated.
"As the United States Surgeon General, I want everyone to know that the best protection against measles is getting vaccinated."
And that's the Health & Lifestyle report. I'm Anna Matteo.
重点解析
重点讲解：
1. at risk 处境危险；有风险的；在危险；
As with all diseases, certain groups will be more at risk than others.
所有的疾病都是如此，一些人比另一些人更容易受到威胁。
2. be sure of 确信的；确知的；
I hope you are sure of your facts.
我希望你能肯定你说的都是事实。
3. object to 不喜欢；不赞成；反对；
Many local people object to the building of the new airport.
许多当地的居民反对兴建新机场。
4. no longer 不再；已不；
Food shortages are no longer a problem.
食物短缺不再是个问题。
参考译文
全球抑制麻疹进程面临危险
这里是VOA慢速英语健康生活报道。
麻疹很容易在人与人之间传播，但这是一种完全可以预防的疾病。
世界卫生组织（简称WHO）指出，过去50年，安全且有效的疫苗帮助数十亿儿童避免罹患麻疹。
但是，现在所有这些进展都面临着危险。
凯瑟琳·奥布莱恩是世界卫生组织免疫、疫苗和生物制品主任。她说，进展面临威胁，是因为世界所有地区都出现了儿童未能接种疫苗的情况。
“麻疹病毒是传染性最高的病毒之一。在没有免疫力的情况下感染的每例麻疹病例，10例新增病例中有9例都是因为接触而感染。”
麻疹是种病毒。它存在于感染者的鼻子和喉咙粘液中。美国疾病控制与预防中心的报告称，“麻疹可以通过咳嗽和打喷嚏传播。”
麻疹通过空气中的飞沫传播。这种病毒可以在感染者通过咳嗽或打喷嚏所沾染物体的表面存活2个小时。如果其他人触摸到沾有病毒的物体表面或吸入了相同的空气，他们就会被感染。
麻疹症状
麻疹的症状包括：
体温升高
咳嗽
流鼻涕
眼睛发红、流泪
口腔内出现小片白色区域
皮肤变色（一般先从面部开始，然后向下扩散）
皮疹是感染麻疹的最明显症状。但是，皮疹可能会在感染麻疹四天后才出现。因此，感染者可能不知道自已患病，还会将病毒传染给他人。
全球有多少麻疹病例？
世界卫生组织表示，去年全球报告了约22.9万例麻疹。但是世卫组织官员不能确定具体数字。他们说，报告病例不到实际病例的10%。
因此，麻疹可能感染了数百万人。数百万人没有接种疫苗。2017年，世卫组织报告称，超过1990万人没有接种麻疹疫苗。
凯瑟琳·克特辛格是世卫组织扩大免疫规划项目的医疗官员。她说，非洲各地都爆发了麻疹疫情，包括马达加斯加。
世卫组织报告称，贫穷国家的许多儿童没有接种疫苗，因为他们不住在卫生诊所附近。在较富裕国家，麻疹疫苗得到了广泛普及。但是一些家长有时会选择不让孩子接种疫苗，因为他们认为疫苗存在危险。
美国的反疫苗运动
美国卫生官员敦促家长让孩子接种麻疹疫苗。一些家长因为道德、宗教、个人或哲学原因而反对疫苗。
19年前，美国健康专家宣布，麻疹已不再对公众构成威胁。但是美国仍有18个州允许父母选择是否为孩子接种疫苗。
采取这种做法的其中一个州是位于太平洋西北地区的华盛顿州。该州最近爆发了麻疹疫情，卫生官员正在努力控制疫情。2月5日，华盛顿州报告了50例麻疹病例。
通常，美国乡村地区未接种疫苗的儿童数量更多。但是休斯敦、奥斯汀和西雅图等大城市也有大量儿童没有接种疫苗。
麻疹会让感染者病得非常重，对幼童来说尤为危险。麻疹还会导致肺炎或脑炎等其他健康问题。脑炎指大脑肿胀变大。这种疾病可能致死或导致永久残疾。
包括美国卫生部长杰罗姆·亚当斯在内，医生一直在敦促父母让儿童接种疫苗。
“作为美国卫生部长，我希望所有人都知道，预防麻疹的最佳方式就是接种疫苗。”
以上是健康生活报道。由安娜·马迪奥为您报道。
译文为可可英语翻译，未经授权请勿转载！
