VOA慢速英语2016 萨赫勒疾病的传播或与沙尘暴有关（在线收听）

AS IT IS 2016-08-05 Spread of Disease Linked to Sandstorms in Sahel 萨赫勒疾病的传播或与沙尘暴有关

Sandstorms are a major part of life in the Sahel area in Africa.

沙尘暴是非洲萨赫勒地区常见的天气。

The Sahel stretches from Senegal to Ethiopia.The area is also called the "meningitis belt" because of high levels of the disease meningitis that exist there.

萨赫勒从塞内加尔绵延至埃塞俄比亚。该地区脑膜炎病发率较高，因此被称作是“脑膜炎地带”。

Now, new research suggests sandstorms may be the cause of the high number of bacterial meningitis cases each year in the Sahel.

目前，新的研究表明沙尘暴可能是导致萨赫勒地带细菌性脑膜炎病发率较高的原因。

British and Belgian researchers think high winds from the storms are to blame.They say the winds force sand, other small particles and the bacteria that causes meningitis deep into the respiratory tract.

英国及比利时研究人员认为这应当归咎于沙尘暴带来的强风。他们表示大风将沙尘、其他细小颗粒以及引起脑膜炎的细菌吹入呼吸道深处。

Researcher Daniel Neill is with the Institute of Infection and Global Health at the University of Liverpool.He says it is common for people all over the world to have bacteria in their breathing passages.He notes it is usually safe.

研究人员Daniel Neill在利物浦大学感染及全球卫生研究所工作。她表示全球人们呼吸道中都有细菌，这很正常。但他表示这些细菌通常都是安全的。

But what’s very rare is for these bacteria to move from ... the nose and mouth and throat to places like the brain,lungs or bloodstream where they cause severe disease, Neill adds."We were able to show ... that the dust [increases the chances] of the bacteria moving from the mouth,nose or throat [to] the sites where they cause severe infection.

“但不常见的是，来自鼻子、嘴部以及嗓子处的细菌会移动到大脑、肺部或者血液中，导致严重的疾病。”Neill补充道，“我们可以证明灰尘会增加病菌从嘴部、鼻子、嗓子移动至其他部位的几率，导致严重感染。”

Over the past 10 years, there have been about one million cases of bacterial meningitis in the Sahel, he says.This resulted in about 100,000 deaths.

过去十年间，萨赫勒地区出现了100多万例细菌性脑膜炎案例。并导致100,000人死亡。

Neill and the other researchers reported their findings in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.

Neill以及其他研究人员在《变态反应学与临床免疫学杂志》上发表了该项发现。

The group spent eight years studying dust storms in the Sahel, an area with 26 countries and 300 million people.The main country they studied was Niger.

该组研究人员花费8年时间研究萨赫勒地区的沙尘暴，该地区共有26个国家3亿人口。他们主要研究的国家是尼日尔。

The researchers studied periods of visibility during the storms.They measured levels of sand and other particles in the air.They found the lower the visibility levels, the more cases of meningitis there were.

研究人员研究了沙尘暴能见度时期。他们测量了空气中沙尘及其他颗粒的含量。他们发现，可见度越低，出现的脑膜炎越多。

Researchers believe sand debris is the problem.During a dust storm, the debris causes irritation to the inside of the nose, mouth and throat.The irritation makes it easier for bacteria to enter the rest of the body.

研究人员认为沙子碎片是主要问题。沙尘暴中，碎片会刺激鼻子、嘴部和嗓子内部。这种刺激让细菌更容易侵入身体其他部位。

Neill adds that the hot climate in the Sahel causes bacteria to release toxins.These substances make it harder for the body’s natural defenses to fight infection.

Neil补充道，萨赫勒地区的炎热气候导致细菌释放毒素。这类物质会让机体的天然屏障更难抵御病毒的感染。

Antibiotic drugs and vaccines have reduced the number of meningitis cases, he says.But the number might be reduced even more if people going out in the storms covered their faces with scarves or gauze material.

他表示，抗生素药品以及疫苗已经降低了脑膜炎的数量。但沙尘暴期间，人们出行时如果用围巾或者纱巾遮住脸部，可将脑膜炎数量将至更低。

And that’s something that we could test relatively simply, Neill adds.

Neill补充道：“这点比较容易测试。”

Dust storms most often happen during the Sahel’s dry season, the hottest part of the year.By studying climate conditions,Neill says, it may be possible to predict when the most dangerous storms are likely to strike.

沙尘暴通常都发生在萨赫勒的旱季，即每年最热的时候。Neill表示，通过研究气候条件，有望能够预测最危险的沙尘暴何时来袭。

Words in This Story

sandstorm(s) – n. an event in which very strong winds blow sand around very forcefully in the desert

respiratory tract – n. the lungs or other organs used in the act or process of breathing

throat – n. the tube inside the neck that leads to the stomach and lungs

bloodstream – n. the flow of blood that moves through the heart and body

visibility – n. the ability to see or be seen

irritation – n. to make part of your body sore or painful

toxin(s) – n. a poisonous substance and especially one that is produced by a living thing

scarf(scarves) – n. a long piece of cloth that is worn on your shoulders, around your neck, or over your head

gauze – n. cloth so thin that you can see through it