Shingles1

 

Broadcast: April 16, 2003
By Nancy Steinbach

This is the VOA Special English Health Report.
American researchers say the vaccine¹ medicine that can prevent the disease chicken pox may also provide protection against a painful nerve condition called shingles².
Shingles is also known as herpes zoster. It is caused by the same virus that causes chicken pox. The virus remains³ in the body's nerve cells after the chicken pox disappears. Shingles develops if the virus becomes active again many years later.
It is not clear why this happens. Medical researchers think a temporary weakness in the body's defense⁴ system may permit the virus to move along nerves to the skin. Most people who suffer shingles are more than fifty years old. People with weakened defense systems against disease are also more likely than others to develop shingles.
The first sign of shingles is a burning pain on the skin. The skin becomes red after a few days and enlarged areas appear. These swollen⁵ areas become hard. Then they disappear after a few weeks. These skin blisters2 are not a problem unless they appear on the face near the eyes.
However, the pain continues after the skin is healed. The pain can continue for months or even years. This is why doctors consider shingles a serious health problem. As many as one-million people in the United States develop shingles every year. Doctors treat it with pills or pain- killing⁶ substances placed on the skin. But these treatments are not always effective.
Chicken pox was common among American children until the vaccine was approved in nineteen-ninety-five. Researchers for the company that makes the vaccine says the virus used in the medicine appears less likely than the natural virus to remain in the body's nerve cells. This could mean that children who get the vaccine for chicken pox may be less likely than others to develop shingles later in life.
Some researchers think the vaccine3 seems to increase the ability of the body's defense system to suppress the virus. Now, a large study is taking place to test if a stronger chicken pox vaccine can prevent shingles in healthy adults, or at least reduce the pain. The study involves more than thirty-eight-thousand people over the age of sixty. The results are expected next year.
This VOA Special English Health Report was written by Nancy Steinbach.

1 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。

2 shingles   

n.带状疱疹；（布满海边的）小圆石( shingle的名词复数 )；屋顶板；木瓦（板）；墙面板

参考例句：

• Shingles are often dipped in creosote. 屋顶板常浸涂木焦油。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• The roofs had shingles missing. 一些屋顶板不见了。 来自辞典例句

3 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

4 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

5 swollen   

adj.肿大的，水涨的；v.使变大，肿胀

参考例句：

• Her legs had got swollen from standing up all day.因为整天站着，她的双腿已经肿了。
• A mosquito had bitten her and her arm had swollen up.蚊子叮了她，她的手臂肿起来了。

6 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。