(单词翻译:单击)
Mosquitoes are an unpleasant fact of summer. But 2012 has been especially bad for running into these irritating insects. Because some carry West Nile Virus. And they're known to have infected some 2,000 people in 48 states this year. At least 87 people have died from the infection, which can cause swelling in the brain.
夏季蚊子总是让人恼火。但2012年的夏季尤为糟糕，你遭遇的蚊子不仅恼人甚至会致命。蚊子导致一些人感染上了西尼罗河病毒。今年在美国48个州共有两千人感染上这种病毒。感染致使患者头部肿胀，造成至少87人死亡。
Almost half of the cases have been in Texas. And to lower the risk of infection, some areas have taken extreme measures, including aerial pesticide spraying.
几乎一半的病例出现在德克萨斯州。为了降低感染率，一些地区甚至采取了极端的措施，即在空中喷洒杀虫剂。
But people can take some simple measures on their own to reduce their risk. In an essay in Annals of Internal Medicine, public health experts make recommendations.
然而人们也可以自己动手采取一些简单的措施来降低患病的风险。在《内科学年鉴》上，公共卫生专家们对此提出了一些建议。
First, simply avoid areas likely to have mosquitoes. And if you can't—or don't want to—stay indoors, wear long clothes that cover your skin and use insect repellant. Eliminating standing water, such as that pooled in puddles or unused containers, can also help reduce mosquito breeding grounds and populations overall.
第一步很简单，避免进入可能有蚊子的地区。如果你不能或者不想和呆在室内，记得穿上长袖长裤遮住皮肤，而且要带上驱虫剂。消除汇有积水水坑或安置好不用的容器，也能帮助阻碍蚊子繁殖，减少蚊子总数。
Stopping the mosquitoes' spread helps in the long run—which is what we have to deal with. Because scientists say that West Nile virus is, unfortunately, here to stay.
从长远来看，我们要做的就是阻止蚊子传播。因为据科学家们说，西尼罗河病毒还要在此停留，真不幸啊。
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