VOA慢速英语2022 美国新冠疫情下流感卷土重来（在线收听）

Flu season has arrived in the United States, after taking an unusual year off. Flu hospitalizations are rising, and at least two child deaths have been reported.

在度过了不寻常的一年之后，流感季已经降临美国。流感住院人数正在上升，并且至少报告了2名儿童死亡。

Last year's flu season was the lowest on record. COVID-19 protection measures — such as school closures, distancing, masks and canceled travel — likely prevented the spread of influenza.

去年的流感季是有记录以来最低的一年。类似关闭学校、保持社交距离、戴口罩以及取消出行的新冠肺炎防护措施可能阻止了流感的传播。

"This is setting itself up to be more of a normal flu season," said Lynnette Brammer. She studies flu-like illnesses for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

琳内特·布拉默表示：“这使它更像是一个正常的流感季。”她在美国疾控预防中心研究流感样疾病。

The childhood deaths, Brammer said, are "unfortunately what we would expect when flu activity picks up. It's a sad reminder of how severe flu can be."

布拉默表示，这些儿童死亡“是流感高发时我们所能预料到的状况。这悲哀地提醒人们流感有多严重。”

During last year's unusually light flu season, only one child died. Two years ago, 199 children died from flu, and 144 the year before that.

在去年异常轻微的流感季中，只有1名儿童死亡。两年前有199名儿童死于流感，再前一年有144名儿童死于流感。

In the newest data, the most severe flu activity was in the U.S. capital, Washington, D.C. The number of states with high flu activity rose from three to seven. Recent data show high flu activity in New Mexico, Kansas, Indiana, New Jersey, Tennessee, Georgia and North Dakota.

在最新的数据中，流感最严重的是美国首都华盛顿特区。流感高发州从3个增加到了7个。最新数据显示，新墨西哥州、堪萨斯州、印第安纳州、新泽西州、田纳西州、乔治亚州和北达科他州流感高发。

The type of flu virus this year seems to cause the largest amount of severe disease, especially in the elderly and the very young, Brammer said.

布拉默表示，今年这种流感病毒似乎引起了最多的重症，尤其是在老人和儿童中。

Last year's break from the flu made it more difficult to plan for this year's flu vaccine. Brammer said it is too early to know whether small changes to the flu virus this year will affect the flu vaccine's effectiveness.

去年摆脱了流感，使得今年筹划流感疫苗变得更加困难。布拉默表示，现在判断今年流感病毒的细微变化是否会影响流感疫苗的有效性尚为时过早。

"We'll have to see what the impact of these little changes" will be, she added. "Flu vaccine is your best way to protect yourself against flu."

她还表示：“我们必须找出这些细微变化的影响。流感疫苗是保护自身免受流感侵害的最好办法。”

Early signs show that fewer people are getting flu shots this year compared to 2020. Brammer said with hospitals already affected by COVID-19, it is more important than ever to get a flu shot and take other safety measures.

早期迹象表明，与2020年相比，今年接种流感疫苗的人数变少了。布拉默表示，鉴于医院已经受到新冠肺炎的影响，接种流感疫苗并采取其它安全措施比以往任何时候都更加重要。

"Cover your cough. Wash your hands. Stay home if you're sick," she said. "If you do get flu, there are anti-virals you can talk to your doctor about that can prevent severe illness and help you stay out of the hospital."

她说：“咳嗽时要捂住口鼻。洗手。生病就待在家里。如果你确实感染了流感，你可以跟医生讨论一下抗病毒药物，这可以预防重症并帮助你避免住院。”