CNN News: 埃博拉病毒黑暗中的一线希望

In the midst of the second deadliest outbreak of the Ebola virus, there could be a light at the end of the tunnel. First, here’s what’s been going on. An Ebola outbreak was declared last summer in the Democratic Republic of Congo. That’s where the disease was first identified in 1976 and the outbreak that started last year was at least the 10th one since then in the DRC.

在第二致命的埃博拉病毒爆发之际，黑暗的尽头可能会有一线光明。首先，去年夏天，刚果民主共和国宣布爆发埃博拉疫情。1976年，刚果民主共和国首次发现埃博拉病毒，去年爆发的疫情是自那以来刚果民主共和国爆发的第10次疫情。

One year later, more than 2,700 people in all have been infected and more than half of them have died. There’s no cure for Ebola. The virus’ symptoms usually include fever, body aches, stomach pain, vomiting and bleeding and without extensive protective gear anyone in close contact with someone who’s infected is at risk. So what’s this silver lining?

一年后，总共有2700多人被感染，其中一半以上已经死亡。目前还没有治愈埃博拉的方法。这种病毒的症状通常包括发烧、身体疼痛、胃痛、呕吐和出血，如果没有广泛的防护措施，任何与感染者密切接触的人都有患病风险。那么黑暗中的一线希望是什么呢?

There are two new medical treatments available to Ebola patients and some doctors say they’re highly effective. On average, Ebola kills half the people it infects but among 500 Ebola patients who received the new drug treatments the death rate was between 29 percent and 34 percent and the news gets better.

埃博拉患者有两种新的治疗方法，一些医生称它们非常有效。平均而言，埃博拉病毒导致一半感染者死亡，但在接受新药物治疗的500名埃博拉患者中，死亡率在29%至34%之间，情况有所好转。

For patients who were treated early enough with these drugs, researchers say the death rate drops to between six and 11 percent. So scientists believe the drugs show a lot of promise in moving toward a cure. Over the past four decades, the Ebola virus has devastated communities and fueled fear across central and western Africa.

研究人员表示，对那些早期接受这些药物治疗的病人，死亡率下降到6%到11%之间。因此，科学家们相信，这些药物在治愈埃博拉方面大有希望。在过去的四十年里，埃博拉病毒摧毁了非洲中部和西部社区，加剧了人们的恐惧。