欧美人文风情第206篇:一分钟了解寨卡病毒是什么?

 The Zika virus could spread to four million people this year. So what is it?  寨卡病毒今年可能会扩散到四百万人身上。所以寨卡病毒是什么？

It was discovered in Uganda in the 1940s, then detected in a few other places over the years.  它在1940年代于乌干达发现，接着几年来在其它几个地方被检测到。

It broke out in the Americas and the Caribbean in 2015.  寨卡病毒在2015年于美洲和加勒比海地区爆发。

Zika is transmitted through a particular species of mosquito that lives mostly in tropical regions.  寨卡病毒是透过一种大多生存在热带地区的特殊品种蚊子传播。

That includes parts of the U.S. There was evidence that the virus could be transmitted through other means too.  那包含美国的一些地方。有证据显示这病毒也可能会透过其他方式传播。

Zika has been linked to paralysis¹ and birth defects.  寨卡病毒被和瘫痪及先天缺陷作连结。

Brazil has seen a spike² in babies born with a certain kind of brain damage.  巴西已经发现有某种脑部受损的新生儿数量大幅增加。

Officials are now warning pregnant women not to travel to places where there's an active Zika outbreak. 官方目前正警告怀孕妇女不要到寨卡病毒正在流行的地方旅游。

Generally though, Zika symptoms are mild, and most people infected don't notice anything.  然而一般来说，寨卡病毒的症状很轻微，而大多数受感染的人什么都不会注意到。

There is no treatment for the virus, and officials say finding a vaccine³ could take up to a decade. 这种病毒并无治疗方法，而官方表示要找到疫苗可能会花上长达十年的时间。

 

1 paralysis   

n.麻痹(症)；瘫痪(症)

参考例句：

• The paralysis affects his right leg and he can only walk with difficulty.他右腿瘫痪步履维艰。
• The paralysis affects his right leg and he can only walk with difficulty.他右腿瘫痪步履维艰。

2 spike   

n.长钉，钉鞋；v.以大钉钉牢，使...失效

参考例句：

• The spike pierced the receipts and held them in order.那个钉子穿过那些收据并使之按顺序排列。
• They'll do anything to spike the guns of the opposition.他们会使出各种手段来挫败对手。

3 vaccine   

n.牛痘苗，疫苗；adj.牛痘的，疫苗的

参考例句：

• The polio vaccine has saved millions of lives.脊髓灰质炎疫苗挽救了数以百万计的生命。
• She takes a vaccine against influenza every fall.她每年秋季接种流感疫苗。