全世界应该和平携手合力抗击埃博拉病毒

2014-08-14 11:22:51来源：可可英语

　　As a terrifying outbreak of Ebola virus spreadsacross west Africa, the world is beginning to wake upto the threat of a public health disaster in theregion – and possibly more widely – but efforts tocontain the epidemic require much more local co-ordination and global support. With more than1,100 cases and 660 deaths reported so far, this isnot only the largest Ebola epidemic to date but alsothe first to threaten urban west Africa, wherepopulations are larger and more mobile than in therelatively isolated central parts of the continentaffected previously.

　　随着可怕的埃博拉病毒在西非各地不断蔓延，世界开始对西非(抑或更广泛地区)爆发一场公共健康灾难的威胁警觉起来，但遏制疫情需要当地更多的合作和全球的支持。迄今报道的感染人数超过1100人，死亡人数为660人，这不仅是历史上最严重的埃博拉疫情，而且还是该病毒首次威胁城镇化率更高的西非地区——与此前爆发疫情的相对封闭的中非地区相比，西非人口更多，而且流动性也更强。

　　Ebola’s scary reputation is based on its lethality – the virus kills about 60 per cent of those itinfects – and the lack of any effective treatment beyond making sure that patients are keptfully hydrated. But it is not as contagious as some other germs such as influenza that canspread considerable distances through the air. People catch Ebola by physical contact with aninfected person or animal; scientists believe fruit bats, often eaten as bushmeat in Africa, are areservoir of infection.

　　埃博拉病毒的可怕名声源于其致死率(约为60%)，而且除了确保病人充分补水以外，目前还无其他有效的治疗方案。但它的传染性不如流感等其他病毒，后者可以通过空气传播至相当远的地方。埃博拉病毒通过与受感染患者或动物的物理接触传染。科学家相信，在非洲常被当作野生动物食用的果蝠是埃博拉病毒的宿主。

　　Sophisticated healthcare, with quick diagnosis of suspected cases followed by barrier nursingand medical care, could halt the epidemic. The challenge is to provide that – or somethingcloser to it than exists in much of west Africa today – in a region where the public healthinfrastructure is generally poor.

　　成熟的医疗卫生，加上对疑似病例的快速诊断，再加上隔离看护和治疗，可能阻止疫情的传播。挑战在于，一个公共卫生基础设施普遍匮乏的地区很难提供这些服务。西非大部分地区的医疗水平与之相距太大。

　　The World Health Organisation is already co-ordinating regional action with west Africangovernments, and the medical assistance body Médecins Sans Frontières is active in the fightagainst Ebola, alongside some smaller western health charities. But they need more help fromgovernments and agencies in the developed world, such as the US Centres for Disease Controland Prevention.

　　世界卫生组织(WHO)已在与西非各国政府协调地区行动，医疗援助机构“无国界医生组织”(Medecins SansFrontieres)与一些较小的西方医疗慈善机构一起，也积极参与到抗击埃博拉病毒的行动中。但它们需要来自发达世界的政府和机构——比如美国疾病控制与预防中心(US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention)——的更多帮助。

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