VOA慢速英语2019 埃博拉幸存者面临肾脏问题 同时早逝风险增加

Ebola Survivors¹ Face Kidney Problems and Increased Risk of Early Death

Survivors of Ebola virus disease have a higher than normal risk of dying within a year of leaving the hospital, most likely from kidney damage. This information comes from a study of survivors of Ebola in Guinea.

埃博拉出血热幸存者在出院后一年内死亡的风险高于常人，最有可能的死因是肾脏损伤。这一信息来自一项针对几内亚埃博拉幸存者进行的研究。

Researchers followed more than 1,100 people who were infected with the virus and survived. They found that their death rates a year after leaving hospitals were up to five times higher than the number expected in Guinea’s normal population.

研究人员追踪调查了1100余名感染埃博拉病毒的幸存者。他们发现，这些幸存者在出院一年后的死亡率比几内亚普通人的预期死亡率高5倍。

Ebola infected 28,000 people across West Africa between 2013 and 2016. More than 11,300 of them died from the disease.

2013年至2016年，西非有2.8万人感染埃博拉。其中超过1.13万人死亡。

Death rates were higher among those who were in the hospital for longer periods, the study found. This suggests that patients who had the most severe cases of Ebola may have a higher risk for death after they were treated.

研究发现，在医院接受治疗时间较长者的死亡率更高。这表明，病情最严重的埃博拉感染者在接受治疗后的死亡率可能更高。

The researchers say the findings show an urgent need for more investigation² of the long-term effects of Ebola infection. They noted³ that the number of Ebola survivors has risen sharply after two large epidemics⁵ in the past five years.

研究人员表示，研究表明急需对埃博拉感染的长期影响进行更多调查。他们指出，过去五年爆发了两起大规模埃博拉疫情，而埃博拉幸存者数量大幅增加。

The current Ebola outbreak in Democratic Republic of Congo is now the world’s second largest in history. The first infection was reported in August of 2018. The disease has spread and infected nearly 3,000 people in the DRC, killing⁶ more than 60 percent.

目前刚果民主共和国爆发的埃博拉疫情是史上第二大埃博拉疫情。这次疫情始于2018年8月。埃博拉在刚果不断扩散并感染了近3000人，其中超过60%感染者死亡。

Ibrahima Socé Fall is an emergency medicine expert with the World Health Organization. He and a team of scientists led the latest study. They followed 1,130 Ebola survivors of the 2013-2016 outbreak in Guinea. During the two years that followed their stay in the hospital, 59 survivors died.

易卜拉欣玛·索斯·弗尔是世界卫生组织的急诊医学专家。他和一个科学家小组领导了这项最新研究。几内亚在2013年至2016年爆发埃博拉疫情，他们追踪了其中1130名埃博拉幸存者。他们对幸存者的住院治疗情况进行了长达两年的追踪，期间有59名幸存者死亡。

After listening to family members describe problems that led to the deaths, the researchers believe that about 37 of the patients died as a result of renal failure.

在听完幸存者家属描述的死亡原因后，研究人员认为其中37名患者死于肾功能衰竭。

A report on the study appeared earlier this month in the publication Lancet Infectious Diseases.

这项研究的总结报告于本月初发表在《柳叶刀传染病》期刊上。

Scientists said it was not possible to give the exact cause or date of death for many patients. There were few medical documents available. But studies have found that the virus can be found in patients’ liquid wastes, which means the kidneys are infected. Some patients with Ebola develop a serious kidney injury.

科学家表示，许多患者的确切死亡原因或死亡日期无法确定。几乎没有可用的医学文件。但研究发现，患者的液体废物中可以找到埃博拉病毒，这意味着他们的肾脏受到了感染。一些埃博拉患者出现了严重的肾脏损伤。

“Evidence was weak for most patients, (but) renal failure is a biologically (possible) cause of death in survivors of Ebola virus disease,” said Mory Keita, a medical doctor.

莫里·凯塔医生表示：“对大多数患者来说，证据相当薄弱，但从生物学角度来看，肾功能衰竭是导致埃博拉出血热幸存者死亡的可能原因。”

Keita, a disease expert from Guinea, is now working with the WHO to help control the Congo Ebola outbreak.

凯塔是几内亚的疾病专家，目前正在与世卫组织合作，帮助控制刚果的埃博拉疫情。

Judith Glynn is with the London School of Hygiene⁷ & Tropical Medicine. She also worked on the research team.

朱迪丝·格林来自伦敦卫生学与热带医学学院。她也是这个研究团队的成员。

Glynn said the report’s findings should help emergency care experts direct more resources on higher-risk groups. “Those hospitalized with Ebola for longer may be at greater risk, and could be…targeted,” she said.

格林说，研究结果应该有助于急救专家将更多资源分配给高风险群体。她说：“住院时间较长的埃博拉患者可能面临更高的风险，他们可能会成为目标。”

Words in this Story

kidney – n. either of two organs in your body that remove waste products from your blood and make urine

epidemic⁴ – n. an occurrence in which a disease spreads very quickly and affects a large number of people

renal – adj. involving the kidneys

outbreak – n. the sudden or violent start of something unwanted, such as disease

1 survivors   

幸存者，残存者，生还者( survivor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The survivors were adrift in a lifeboat for six days. 幸存者在救生艇上漂流了六天。
• survivors clinging to a raft 紧紧抓住救生筏的幸存者

2 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

3 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。

4 epidemic   

n.流行病；盛行；adj.流行性的，流传极广的

参考例句：

• That kind of epidemic disease has long been stamped out.那种传染病早已绝迹。
• The authorities tried to localise the epidemic.当局试图把流行病限制在局部范围。

5 epidemics   

n．流行病

参考例句：

• Reliance upon natural epidemics may be both time-consuming and misleading. 依靠天然的流行既浪费时间，又会引入歧途。
• The antibiotic epidemics usually start stop when the summer rainy season begins. 传染病通常会在夏天的雨季停止传播。

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。

7 hygiene   

n.健康法，卫生学 （a.hygienic）

参考例句：

• Their course of study includes elementary hygiene and medical theory.他们的课程包括基础卫生学和医疗知识。
• He's going to give us a lecture on public hygiene.他要给我们作关于公共卫生方面的报告。