2019年经济学人埃博拉:希望(2)（打印版）

Prompt use after infection is vital. Overall, 29% of those receiving REGN-EB3 died.

感染后立即注射是关键。整体而言，接受REGN-EB3治疗后，29%的患者死亡。

But of people treated when their viral loads were still low, only 6% succumbed.

当那些在病毒量仍然较低时就接受治疗的患者，他们的死亡率仅为6%。

For mAb114 the numbers were 34% and 11% respectively—superficially less good,

就mAb114而言，数字分别为34%和11%—表面上看，效果不太好，

but actually indistinguishable statistically from the results for REGN-EB3.

但其实从统计上看，它与REGN-EB3的结果并没有什么区别。

Two other candidate treatments had significantly worse figures than these, and were therefore rejected by the overseers.

另外两种候选治疗方法的数字明显更差，因此被监督员拒绝了。

Both REGN-EB3 and mAb114 have histories. Regeneron developed the former in 2016,

REGN-EB3和mAb114都是有历史记录的。Regeneron在2016年研发了前者，

in response to an Ebola epidemic in west Africa in which 11,000 people died.

以应对非洲西部的埃博拉疫情，当时该疫情致11000人死亡。

But that outbreak came to an end before the treatment could make its way into clinics,

但在该治疗方法进入临床阶段前，该疫情就结束了，

and until this year there had been no opportunity to test it. The story of mAb114 goes back even further.

直到今年才有机会再对其进行测试。mAb114的故事更加久远。

Its pertinent antibody was isolated from a survivor of an epidemic of Ebola in Congo in 1995.

其相关抗体是从1995年刚果埃博拉疫情幸存者身上隔离出来的。

Both treatments will now be deployed in the field—but, given the smallish size of the trial that approved them,

现在两种治疗方法都将被应用于实地—但由于批准试验规模较小，

doctors will be looking closely at their relative efficacies to determine whether, in light of more data, one is actually better than the other.

医生将密切观察它们的相对效力以根据更多的数据决定哪一个更好。

Regardless of that, effective treatment will surely help break the epidemic directly, by stopping those cured from passing on the virus.

不管如何，有效的治疗方法都将通过阻止被治愈者传播病毒的方式帮助直接阻断疫情。

It may help indirectly, too. At the moment, those who have become infected,

这也可能起到间接帮助的作用。目前，那些已经被感染的人看到

seeing others go into clinics alive only to leave in coffins, are understandably reluctant to follow suit.

其他人活着走进诊所，却躺在棺材里离开，他们不愿如此，这也是可以理解的。

That means they remain in their homes and spread the illness to others.

这意味着他们仍然待在家中并将疾病传染给别人。

The prospect of going to a clinic for a cure will change this, and thus also help to break the chain of transmission.

到诊所寻求治疗的前景将改变这一点，从而也有助于打破传播链。