VOA慢速英语2015 麻疹成为美国的医学、科学和政治问题

 

AS IT IS 2015-02-09 Measles¹ Becomes a Medical, Scientific, Political Issue in US 麻疹成为美国的医学、科学和政治问题

Measles has become a public health issue in the United States. Measles cases were first reported last month at Disneyland in California. Since then, the disease has spread to more than 100 people across the country. Many of those patients are children.

Measles is a serious illness that spreads easily. Sometimes, it can be deadly. The recent outbreak has re-opened a debate about vaccines³ that protect people from measles and other diseases.

In 2000, the United States declared that measles was eliminated from the country. In other words, it was no longer a health threat to Americans. U.S. officials say the disease was defeated because of a highly effective measles vaccine², a strong vaccination⁴ program and a strong public health system.

With a vaccination, a medical worker puts a small amount of the disease into a person’s body. As a result, the body learns to protect itself from the disease. 

Eric Handler is a public health officer. He says some parents do not vaccinate⁵ their children because they are afraid the vaccine will create other problems – especially autism.

But Mr. Handler says medical researchers have clearly found that vaccines do not cause autism. He says parents who are worried about vaccines get their information from the Internet and from friends.

Dotty Hagmier is a parent who did not vaccinate her children. She believes vaccinations⁶ can give children an illness they will have for their entire lives.    

“There is also many risks if they get the vaccine versus⁷ getting an illness that they could actually recover from.”

Sandy Roffman is not vaccinating⁸ her daughter either. But she has another reason: her daughter has cancer and cannot receive even a small amount of measles in a vaccine.

Ms. Roffman is angry that some people do not protect their children from measles. She says that, for one thing, she knows what it is like to take care of a very sick child.

“It’s unfathomable to me that, A., anyone would deliberately⁹ put their child in harm and B., would put the rest of the world at harm.”

Top health experts agree with Ms. Roffman. Doctor Anthony Fauci leads the U.S. National Institutes of Health. He told Congress that parents who refuse to have their kids vaccinated¹⁰ put others at risk.

Dr. Tom Frieden is the head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. He says vaccinations were important for public health.

“The more kids who are not vaccinated, the more they are at risk and the more they are putting their neighbor’s kids at risk, as well.”

Dr. Linda Fu is an infectious disease expert at Children’s National Health System in Washington. She says studies have shown that vaccines save lives, and the side effects are rare and minor¹¹. Problems can include mild pain or a higher than normal body temperature. She notes that measles can cause ear infections, hearing loss, brain damage, pneumonia¹² and death.

Yet the dispute over vaccines and measles has become so heated in the U.S. that politicians are talking about it.

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton wrote on social media, “The science is clear: The earth is round, the sky is blue, and vaccines work.”

Ms. Clinton may be seeking the presidency¹³ in 2016 for the Democratic Party. Kentucky Senator Rand Paul may be a presidential candidate for the Republican Party. Mr. Paul also says he supported vaccines. But he also said he heard vaccines were linked to mental disorders¹⁴.

“I’ve heard of many tragic¹⁵ cases of walking, talking, normal children who wound up with profound mental disorders after vaccines.”

Another Republican who might be a presidential candidate is New Jersey¹⁶ Governor Chris Christie. He noted¹⁷ that parents should have some choice on whether to have their children vaccinated.

All three politicians have been criticized for their comments.

A public opinion survey last year found that 68 percent of Americans believe the government should require all children to get vaccinations. Thirty percent said parents should decide.  

Words in this Story

outbreak – n. a sudden spread of disease or an increase in fighting

autism – n. a developmental disability that can cause social, communication or behavioral problems

for one thing – phrase, used to present possible reasons for something

infectious – adj. sick with something that causes disease

1 measles   

n.麻疹，风疹，包虫病，痧子

参考例句：

• The doctor is quite definite about Tom having measles.医生十分肯定汤姆得了麻疹。
• The doctor told her to watch out for symptoms of measles.医生叫她注意麻疹出现的症状。

2 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。

3 vaccines   

疫苗，痘苗( vaccine的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His team are at the forefront of scientific research into vaccines. 他的小组处于疫苗科研的最前沿。
• The vaccines were kept cool in refrigerators. 疫苗放在冰箱中冷藏。

4 vaccination   

n.接种疫苗，种痘

参考例句：

• Vaccination is a preventive against smallpox.种痘是预防天花的方法。
• Doctors suggest getting a tetanus vaccination every ten years.医生建议每十年注射一次破伤风疫苗。

5 vaccinate   

vt.给…接种疫苗；种牛痘

参考例句：

• Local health officials then can plan the best times to vaccinate people.这样，当地的卫生官员就可以安排最佳时间给人们接种疫苗。
• Doctors vaccinate us so that we do not catch smallpox.医生给我们打预防针使我们不会得天花。

6 vaccinations   

n.种痘，接种( vaccination的名词复数 )；牛痘疤

参考例句：

• Vaccinations ensure one against diseases. 接种疫苗可以预防疾病。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• I read some publicity about vaccinations while waiting my turn at the doctor's. 在医生那儿候诊时，我读了一些关于接种疫苗的宣传。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 versus   

prep.以…为对手，对；与…相比之下

参考例句：

• The big match tonight is England versus Spain.今晚的大赛是英格兰对西班牙。
• The most exciting game was Harvard versus Yale.最富紧张刺激的球赛是哈佛队对耶鲁队。

8 vaccinating   

给…接种疫苗( vaccinate的现在分词 )； 注射疫苗，接种疫苗

参考例句：

• At first blush, vaccinating the wolves against rabies seems a simple solution. 乍一看来，为狼群注射防狂犬病疫苗是一种简单的办法。
• Also vaccinating children against misers (measles) has saved many lives. 还有，给儿童进行疫苗接种防止麻疹也挽救了许多生命。

9 deliberately   

adv.审慎地；蓄意地；故意地

参考例句：

• The girl gave the show away deliberately.女孩故意泄露秘密。
• They deliberately shifted off the argument.他们故意回避这个论点。

10 vaccinated   

[医]已接种的，种痘的，接种过疫菌的

参考例句：

• I was vaccinated against tetanus. 我接种了破伤风疫苗。
• Were you vaccinated against smallpox as a child? 你小时候打过天花疫苗吗？

11 minor   

adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修

参考例句：

• The young actor was given a minor part in the new play.年轻的男演员在这出新戏里被分派担任一个小角色。
• I gave him a minor share of my wealth.我把小部分财产给了他。

12 pneumonia   

n.肺炎

参考例句：

• Cage was struck with pneumonia in her youth.凯奇年轻时得过肺炎。
• Pneumonia carried him off last week.肺炎上星期夺去了他的生命。

13 presidency   

n.总统(校长，总经理)的职位(任期)

参考例句：

• Roosevelt was elected four times to the presidency of the United States.罗斯福连续当选四届美国总统。
• Two candidates are emerging as contestants for the presidency.两位候选人最终成为总统职位竞争者。

14 disorders   

n.混乱( disorder的名词复数 )；凌乱；骚乱；（身心、机能）失调

参考例句：

• Reports of anorexia and other eating disorders are on the increase. 据报告，厌食症和其他饮食方面的功能紊乱发生率正在不断增长。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The announcement led to violent civil disorders. 这项宣布引起剧烈的骚乱。 来自《简明英汉词典》

15 tragic   

adj.悲剧的，悲剧性的，悲惨的

参考例句：

• The effect of the pollution on the beaches is absolutely tragic.污染海滩后果可悲。
• Charles was a man doomed to tragic issues.查理是个注定不得善终的人。

16 jersey   

n.运动衫

参考例句：

• He wears a cotton jersey when he plays football.他穿运动衫踢足球。
• They were dressed alike in blue jersey and knickers.他们穿着一致，都是蓝色的运动衫和灯笼短裤。

17 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。