2022年11月02日 VOA慢速英语：数据显示孕妇接种 RSV 疫苗可保护新生儿

 

A new study finds that vaccinating pregnant women for RSV was effective in protecting their newborns from the sickness.
一项新的研究发现，为孕妇接种 RSV 疫苗可有效保护新生儿免受疾病侵害。
 
RSV stands for respiratory syncytial virus. It affects the body's breathing system. RSV is most common in babies, but can also affect adults. Most of the time it only causes minor sickness such as runny nose and cough. But in serious cases it can lead to life-threatening disease in some babies and older people.
RSV 代表呼吸道合胞病毒。它会影响身体的呼吸系统。RSV 在婴儿中最常见，但也会影响成人。大多数情况下，它只会引起轻微的疾病，例如流鼻涕和咳嗽。但在严重的情况下，它可能会导致一些婴儿和老年人患上危及生命的疾病。
 
American drug maker Pfizer did the study. It announced the results Tuesday. The study subjects were given the vaccine in the second half of their pregnancy terms.
美国制药商辉瑞公司进行了这项研究。它在周二公布了结果。研究对象在怀孕的后半期接种了疫苗。
 
The company said its RSV vaccine was nearly 82 percent effective in preventing severe cases of the virus during the first 90 days of a baby's life. At six months of age, the vaccine was found to be 69 percent effective against serious sickness, the study found.
该公司表示，其 RSV 疫苗在婴儿出生后 90 天内预防严重病毒病例的有效性接近 82%。研究发现，在六个月大时，该疫苗对严重疾病的有效率为 69%。
 
Pfizer said there were no signs of safety problems in mothers or babies.
辉瑞公司表示，没有迹象表明母亲或婴儿存在安全问题。
 
The company said the study showed the vaccine was most effective against severe disease. For milder sickness, the rate of effectiveness dropped to between 51 to 57 percent.
该公司表示，研究表明该疫苗对严重疾病最有效。对于较轻的疾病，有效率下降到 51% 到 57% 之间。
 
In the United States, RSV leads to the hospitalization of about 58,000 children younger than age 5 each year. Several hundred children die. About 177,000 adults 65 and older are hospitalized with RSV each year and it kills about 14,000.
在美国，RSV 每年导致约 58,000 名 5 岁以下儿童住院。数百名儿童死亡。每年约有 177,000 名 65 岁及以上的成年人因 RSV 住院，并导致约 14,000 人死亡。
 
Worldwide, about 100,000 children a year die from RSV, most of them in poor countries.
在全球范围内，每年约有 100,000 名儿童死于 RSV，其中大部分在贫困国家。
 
Pfizer said it plans to seek government approval of its RSV vaccine by the end of 2022. If approved, Pfizer's shot could become the first vaccine given to mothers to prevent RSV in young children.
辉瑞表示，它计划在 2022 年底之前寻求政府对其 RSV 疫苗的批准。如果获得批准，辉瑞的疫苗可能成为第一个给予母亲预防幼儿 RSV 的疫苗。
 
British drug maker GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) is also working on developing a vaccine against RSV.
英国制药商葛兰素史克 (GSK) 也在致力于开发针对 RSV 的疫苗。
 
Both companies recently announced their shots have also shown good results protecting older people.
两家公司最近都宣布，他们的疫苗也显示出保护老年人的良好效果。
 
Kena Swanson is vice president of Pfizer's viral vaccines division. She told Reuters news agency that a vaccine given to mothers "takes advantage of the ability to protect the infant from day one." Swanson added that the results are important because they showed the vaccine is highly effective at protecting babies at "the peak of hospitalization," at around one to two months of age.
Kena Swanson 是辉瑞公司病毒疫苗部门的副总裁。她告诉路透社，给母亲接种的疫苗“利用 了从第一天起保护婴儿的能力”。斯旺森补充说，结果很重要，因为它们表明疫苗在大约一到两个月大的“住院高峰期”可以非常有效地保护婴儿。
 
Children's hospitals in parts of the U.S. have been reporting worrying levels of RSV cases. While the latest findings will not be able to help that situation, they do raise hopes that one or more vaccines might become available before next fall's RSV season.
美国部分地区的儿童医院报告的 RSV 病例水平令人担忧。虽然最新发现无法帮助解决这种情况，但它们确实提出了一种或多种疫苗可能在明年秋季 RSV 季节之前上市的希望。
 
"My fingers are crossed," said Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious disease specialist at Vanderbilt University. "We're making inroads," he added.
“我的手指交叉了，”范德比尔特大学传染病专家威廉沙夫纳博士说。“我们正在取得进展，”他补充道。