Chinese authorities have admitted for the first time that limited human-to-human transmission of the deadly H7N9 flu virus is theoretically possible, adding to fears over the virus that has now claimed 17 lives in eastern China.
中国政府首次承认，致命的H7N9禽流感病毒理论上可能出现有限的人际感染，这增加了人们对该病毒的恐惧。迄今这种病毒已导致中国东部17人死亡。
In a departure from earlier comments, scientists at Beijing’s Center for Disease Control and Prevention said evidence from H7N9 infections in families was “unclear” and they were still studying the cases to determine whether human-to-human transmission had occurred.
与此前言论不同的是，北京的中国疾病预防控制中心(Center for Disease Control and Prevention)的科学家表示，H7N9是否会在家庭内传播的证据“尚不清楚”，他们仍在研究病例，确定是否发生过人际感染。
“For a virus that can pass from birds to humans, then after a person is infected, in theory it can also infect, in very rare cases, members of a population who are particularly susceptible to infection or who have certain characteristics,” said Feng Zijian, director of the public health emergency centre at the CDC, in remarks posted on the Ministry of Health’s website.
据中国卫生部网站报道，中国疾病预防控制中心卫生应急中心主任冯子健表示：“它既然可以从禽偶然感染人类，如果人感染了以后，从理论上讲，也可以导致人群中和他密切接触的某些特定的、非常少见的易感者感染，这就是所谓的有限的人传人。”
The H7N9 avian influenza has infected 82 people, of which five have recovered, 17 have died and the rest remain in critical condition, according to the Ministry of Health’s tally on April 17, the most recent date for which numbers were available.
中国卫生部4月17日的统计数据显示，N7N9禽流感已经感染了82人，其中5人治愈，17人死亡，其他人病情严重。这是最新能够获取的数据。(编者注：据中国媒体报道，截止北京时间18日晚间，全国确诊病例已达87例）
However, Mr Feng downplayed fears of a pandemic. “Even if a small number of family cluster infections appear, it would not mean the virus had already achieved the ability of effective human-to-human transmission,” he said. He added that no firm evidence of human-to-human transmission has yet been found.
不过，冯子健淡化了疫情大爆发的担心。他表示：“即便有少数的家庭聚集性病例出现，也不意味着病毒已经具备了有效人传人的能力。”他补充道，目前尚未发现人传人的确凿证据。
The virus is difficult to track because it is asymptomatic in some birds, meaning it can spread undetected in bird populations, and scientists have not yet determined how it is transmitted.
这些病毒很难追踪，因为在某些鸟类身上没有症状，这意味着病毒在鸟类之间传播不会被发现，科学家尚不清楚病毒是如何传播的。
While bird-to-human transmission is suspected, only half of the people who have caught H7N9 remember having recent contact with birds.
尽管目前怀疑是禽类感染人类，但在感染H7N9的人中，只有一半人记得最近接触过禽鸟。
No vaccine exists for the H7N9 virus, but China, Taiwan and the US all say they have started working on one. In an unusual show of openness, China has shared details of the virus with scientists around the world, including sending virus samples to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
目前尚无H7N9疫苗，但中国大陆、台湾和美国都表示已经开始研发疫苗。这次中国展现出不同寻常的开放态度，与全世界的科学家分享病毒细节，包括向美国疾病控制预防中心(US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)提供病毒样本。