VOA慢速英语: 狗狗接种疫苗可以消除狂犬病（双语）

狗狗接种疫苗可能消除狂犬病

From VOA Learning English, this is the Health Report.

这里是美国之音的健康报道。

In the United States, we often say that “dogs are a man’s best friend.” While it is true that dogs are popular pets, it is also true that in some parts of the world, a dog bite can lead to a painful death.

在美国，我们经常说“狗是人类最好的朋友。”确实，狗是最受欢迎的宠物，但是在世界的一些地方，确实也有些问题：被狗咬了可能会导致痛苦的死亡。

In fact, about 70,000 people worldwide die every year of rabies. Rabies is a viral infection that people get mainly through dog bites.

事实上，全世界每年大约有7万人死于狂犬病。狂犬病是一种被狗咬后的急性传染病。

Rabies is uncommon in the West. But in India, and other parts of Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, dogs that have not received anti-rabies vaccine continue to threaten public health.

在西方国家，狂犬病并不是很常见。但是在印度，亚洲的其他一些地方以及撒哈拉以南的非洲，因为狗狗没有接种疫苗，仍然威胁着人们的健康安全。

A rabies death is a painful process. After a rabid dog bites someone, the virus invades the person’s central nervous system. Victims develop a severe and irrational fear of water. They convulse, or shake violently. Then they go into a coma and almost always die.

狂犬病发作是个痛苦的过程。被狗咬后，狂犬病毒会侵入人的中枢神经。受害者十分恐惧、害怕水。他们会抽搐或者剧烈的摇晃，然后陷入昏迷，大多数情况下会死亡。

However, the rabies virus is not immediately active in the human body. It is usually inactive for at least 10 days after a bite. Sometimes it remains silent for months. This is called an incubation period. During incubation, vaccination can still prevent infection.

然而，狂犬病毒不会在人体内立即发作，通常被咬后悔潜伏至少10天，有时甚至会潜伏好几个月。这叫做潜伏期。在潜伏期，接种疫苗仍然可以预防感染病毒。

Scientists say vaccinating dogs can effectively get rid of rabies outbreaks in dog populations. And this will have a domino effect – vaccinating dogs with rabies means fewer humans with rabies.

科学家说接种疫苗的狗能够有效的摆脱狂犬病的爆发。就像是多米诺效应——接种狂犬疫苗的狗多了，那感染狂犬病的人就会少了。

But many developing countries do not have dog vaccination systems in place. So, rabies still kills 70,000 people around the world every year. Most victims are children.

但是很多发展中国家的一些地方没有狗狗接种疫苗的体制，所以，世界范围内狂犬病每年夺取7万多人的生命。多数受害者是儿童。

Animal scientists are calling for mass vaccination of dogs as a way to get rid of rabies.

动物专家呼吁让狗狗大范围的接种疫苗，来摆脱狂犬病的困扰。

One example of where this worked very well is in the African country of Tanzania. Public health officials there set up dog vaccination centers in 180villages. Before the vaccination centers were set up, there were, on average, 50 rabies deaths every year in Tanzania. After the centers began working, that number dropped to nearly zero.

非洲的坦桑尼亚国家做得就非常好。卫生官员在180个村庄设立狗狗疫苗接种中心。这个中心设立之前，在坦桑尼亚，平均每年有50例狂犬病死亡病例。但是这个中心投入使用后，死亡病例几乎为零。

Guy Palmer is director of the School for Global Animal Health at Washington State University. He co-authored the study in Tanzania.

盖·帕玛是华盛顿州立大学全球动物健康研究中心的主任，他合作参与了坦桑尼亚的研究。

Mr. Palmer says researchers found that immunizing 70 percent of dogs wiped out rabies as a human threat.

帕玛说：“研究员发现世界范围内，70%的狗接种疫苗的话，就能够消除威胁人类的狂犬病。”

“Before that, people had said, ‘Well, the dogs are running wild.’ We’ve shown that, in fact, that’s not true. These dogs tend to have owners, so they are available for vaccination. We can get 70 percent coverage.”

“在这之前，人们总说：‘狗是野生疯跑的。’但是我们的研究证明并非如此，”

Mr. Palmer says 40 percent of those who get rabies from dogs in Africa and Asia are children.

帕玛说：“非洲和亚洲40%感染狂犬病病毒的是儿童。”

Mr. Palmer wrote a report on the subject for Science magazine. It says that rabies could be permanently ended within 10 years. The scientists suggest using a method called “One Health.” The method brings together people doctors and animal doctors, or veterinarians. They immunize dogs against rabies and treat dog-bite victims.

帕玛就这一课题为科学杂志写了一份报告。报告里说：狂犬病在10年内能够永远的被消灭。科学家建议使用“一种健康”的方法。这种方法把医生和兽医聚集到一起，他们一起给狗狗增加免疫，治疗被狗咬的受害人。

“This is not something that requires 10 to 20 years of basic research to develop a vaccine. We have a vaccine that works perfectly. It’s really an implementation strategy, and a desire to do so. And one of the benefits is that any implementation strategy like this strengthens those infrastructures within the most vulnerable communities and countries.”

“这不是需要10到20年的研究才能制造出来疫苗的工程，我们已经有有效的疫苗了。这确实是个可以实施的策略，而且人们也希望这么做。任何可以实施的策略的好处是：增强那些脆弱的团体和国家的基础设施建设。”

Mr. Palmer says a successful anti-rabies campaign strengthens medical systems. And this could have a positive domino effect when fighting other deadly diseases, such as Ebola.

帕玛说一场成功的抵抗狂犬病的运动能够增强医疗体系。这对于抵抗其它致命疾病，如：埃博拉病毒是个积极的影响。

And that’s the Health Report. I’m Anna Matteo.

这是健康报道。我是安娜·马特奥。

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Words in this Story

irrational – adj. not thinking clearly; not able to use reason or good judgment

convulse – v. to have an experience in which the muscles in your body shakein a sudden, violent way that you are not able to control

coma – n. a state of deep unconsciousness that lasts for a prolonged orindefinite period, caused especially by severe injury or illness

incubation period – n. the period between exposure to an infection and the appearance of the first symptoms

veterinary – adj. relating to the medical care and treatment of animals. Aveterinarian is a doctor for animals

domino effect - n. a situation in which one event causes a series of similarevents to happen one after another