VOA慢速英語: 肯尼亞研究者研發(fā)瘧疾疫苗

Kenyan Researchers Developing Malaria Vaccine
肯尼亞研究者研發(fā)瘧疾疫苗
Malaria control efforts depend mainly on things like chemically-treated mosquito nets and sprays designed to kill the disease-carrying insects. But scientists in Kenya say another method -- a vaccine -- will be available next year. Researchers are already testing the vaccine on volunteers. If tests are successful, the treatment could add an important new weapon in efforts to control and possibly stop the disease.
瘧疾的控制主要依靠經(jīng)過化學處理的蚊帳和噴霧劑來殺死傳播疾病的昆蟲。但是肯尼亞的科學家稱還有另外一種方法——一種疫苗——來年會得到有效使用。研究者已經(jīng)在志愿者身上試驗這種疫苗了。如果試驗成功的話，這種疫苗就能成為控制疾病甚至是終止這種疾病的新型治療武器。
Malaria kills more than 500,000 people a year worldwide. The disease sickens millions more every year. Many of those who die or become sick are children living in African countries south of the Sahara Desert.
世界范圍內(nèi)，瘧疾已經(jīng)奪取50多萬人的性命了。每年都有數(shù)百萬的人因瘧疾而得病。撒哈拉沙漠以南的非洲國家有很多孩子死于瘧疾或者患病。
Kisumu is the third-largest city in Kenya. One-third of all patients in and near the city suffer from malaria.
基蘇木是肯尼亞第三大城市，基蘇木城市以及周圍三分之一的病人都在遭受瘧疾的折磨。
Existing malaria control efforts have helped to reduce the number of infections over the past ten years. But there has never been a vaccine to protect people against the disease.
過去十年來，現(xiàn)行的瘧疾控制手段確實減少了瘧疾感染的人數(shù)。但是還沒有一種疫苗能夠保護人們抵抗瘧疾。
Scientists in Kisumu have created a vaccine that they are now testing on people. They worked with the British drug company GlaxoSmithKline and others to develop the vaccine. Scientists say vaccinating people --especially young children -- is necessary if the disease is to be stopped.
基蘇木的科學家已經(jīng)研發(fā)出一種疫苗，而且正在人身上試驗。他們與英國葛蘭素史克公司以及其他機構(gòu)合作研發(fā)疫苗?？茖W家稱要想阻止疾病，傳播非常有必要給人們注射疫苗，特別是孩子們更需要注射疫苗。
Dr. Martina Oneko is a pediatrician -- a doctor who cares for babies and children. She helped to carry out a study on the effectiveness of a malaria vaccine, in rural western Kenya.
瑪?shù)倌?middot;歐科博士是名兒科醫(yī)生——主要治療嬰兒還孩子。在肯尼亞的西部鄉(xiāng)村地區(qū)，他幫助進行研究瘧疾疫苗的有效性。
“We saw a very good success of the vaccine resulting in health improvements in these children. They were just not as sick as their counterparts in the community who were not vaccinated. The overall vaccine efficacy in the older age group for all the sites was 47 percent and in the younger age group it was 27 percent.”
“我們看到疫苗的功效：這些孩子的健康狀況得到提升，這個社區(qū)的沒有注射疫苗的孩子健康狀態(tài)不如他們。所有試驗點中，疫苗對年齡稍大一點的實驗者的功效是47%，而年紀稍小點的是27%。”
The vaccine stops the malaria parasite from infecting -- and reproducing in -- the liver. After a mosquito carrying the malaria parasite bites its victim, infected blood from the liver enters the body and infects other red blood cells. This process causes malaria.
疫苗能夠阻止瘧疾寄生蟲在肝臟內(nèi)的感染、繁殖。攜帶瘧疾病原的蚊子，叮咬人之后，血液感染進入體內(nèi)。還會影響血液里的紅血細胞。這一過程就會引起瘧疾。
Malaria researchers say the vaccine may not stop the spread of malaria by itself. But if it is used in combination with existing interventions, the lives of millions of people in sub-Saharan Africa will be saved.
瘧疾研究者稱疫苗也許不能組織瘧疾的傳播，但是，如果疫苗跟現(xiàn)行的措施共同使用，那么撒哈拉以南的非洲就會有數(shù)以百萬計的人獲救。
I’m Christopher Cruise.
我是克里斯托弗·克魯斯。
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Words in This Story
spray – v. to put (something) on a surface or into the air using a special container that produces a stream of small drops of liquid or gas
vaccine – n. a substance containing killed or weakened organisms given to a person or animal to produce protection against a disease
infect – v. to make sick with something that causes disease
efficacy – n. the power to produce a desired result or effect
parasite – n. an animal or organism that lives in or on another animal or plant and gets food or protection from it
introduction – n. the act of bringing something into practice or use for the first time