VOA常速英语2020--2020年世界脊髓灰质炎日（在线收听）

Next, an editorial reflecting the views of the United States government.

以下是一篇反映美国政府政策立场的社论。

Poliomyelitis, or polio, is a paralyzing and potentially fatal infectious disease caused by the poliovirus. Poliovirus invades the central nervous system and can cause total paralysis in hours. It can affect people of any age, but children under five are especially at risk. Polio can be prevented by vaccines, but it is not curable once someone is infected. In 1988, the World Health Assembly vowed to eradicate polio, a disease responsible for more than 350,000 cases of childhood paralysis a year across 125 countries. USAID’s contributions helped secure the eradication of wild polio in the Americas in 1994, the Western Pacific in 2000, Europe in 2002, South East Asia in 2014, and—most recently this year—Africa. In mid-August Africa was certified wild polio-free after 4 years of no new cases. Nigeria was the last country to meet the rigorous standards of certification, joining 46 countries in the region to celebrate this historic public health milestone. Today polio cases have been reduced by 99.9 percent, and only Afghanistan and Pakistan continue to experience endemic cases of polio.

脊髓灰质炎（又叫小儿麻痹症）是一种由脊髓灰质炎病毒引起的传染病，这种疾病能够使人瘫痪，甚至可能致死。脊髓灰质炎病毒入侵人体的中枢神经系统，有可能在几小时内就导致瘫痪。任何年龄段的人都可能染病，而五岁以下的儿童患病风险尤其大。可通过注射疫苗对脊髓灰质炎进行预防，但是患者一旦染病，就无法治愈。1988年，世界卫生大会誓言要根除脊髓灰质炎，每年在全球125个国家有超过35万儿童染病瘫痪。美国国际开发署的贡献帮助1994年在美洲、2000年在西太平洋、2002年在欧洲、2014年在东南亚以及今年在非洲先后实现了根除野生脊髓灰质炎病毒。在四年没有新增病例的情况下，非洲在8月中旬被认证已无野生脊灰病毒。尼日利亚是最后一个满足严格认证标准的国家，与该地区其它46个国家一起庆祝这一具有历史意义的公共卫生里程碑。如今，脊髓灰质炎病例已被减少了99.9%，只有阿富汗和巴基斯坦仍然存在脊髓灰质炎流行病例。

In many countries, the road to polio eradication has not been easy. Protracted conflict, misinformation, displaced populations, remote communities, and other challenges have stalled—and continue to stall—the efforts of countries trying to combat the virus. Nonetheless, if residual transmission of the virus is to be stopped, a sustained and evolving response must continue. Only through the unwavering dedication, creative problem solving, and incredible hard work of local communities, national governments, and global partners alike has a polio-free world moved within reach. In partnership with these countless health workers, community leaders, and volunteers who have never lost sight of reaching every last child, USAID’s support towards global polio eradication has helped ensure over 400 million children are vaccinated against polio each year. Today, nearly 19 million people are walking who would have otherwise been paralyzed and more than 1.5 million people are alive who would otherwise have died from polio. This year, 2020, is a notable one to celebrate World Polio Day, with the Africa region certified wild polio-free even as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to disrupt essential health care worldwide, including routine immunization programs. Moving forward, USAID and its partners plan to use the lessons learned and infrastructure built on the road to polio eradication to inform our response to the current pandemic and future infectious disease outbreaks.

在很多国家，通往根除脊髓灰质炎的道路并非一帆风顺。旷日持久的冲突、不实信息、流离失所的人口、地域偏远的社区和其它挑战曾经和继续阻碍着各国抗击脊髓灰质炎病毒的努力。然而，要想阻止残余病毒的传播，就必须要继续坚持持续不断发展的响应措施。只有通过当地社区、国家政府和全球合作伙伴坚定不移的献身精神、创造性的解决问题和艰苦卓绝的努力，才能够实现一个没有脊髓灰质炎的世界。美国国际开发署与无数的医疗卫生工作者、社区领袖和志愿者建立起了合作伙伴关系，他们从未忘记要为每一个儿童提供帮助。美国国际开发署对全球根除脊髓灰质炎病毒的支持帮助每年让超过4亿的儿童接种脊髓灰质炎疫苗。如今，有将近1900万原本会瘫痪的人正在健步而行，有超过150万人摆脱了死于脊髓灰质炎的厄运。今年，也就是2020年的“世界脊髓灰质炎日”是值得庆祝的一天。虽然新冠病毒疫情仍在继续扰乱世界各地界的基本医疗保健，包括例行的免疫项目，但是非洲地区获得了没有野生脊灰病毒的认证。今后，美国国际开发署及其合作伙伴计划利用在根除脊髓灰质炎病毒的道路上汲取的经验教训和建立的基础设施，为我们应对当前的疫情以及未来传染病暴发提供信息。

That was an editorial reflecting the views of the United States government.

这是一篇反映美国政府政策立场的社论。