VOA健康报道2022--欧洲猴痘蔓延可能源于两次狂欢派对

Monkeypox Possibly Spread in Europe at Large Dance Parties

A top adviser¹ to the World Health Organization (WHO) says the current monkeypox virus spread in Europe probably began at big dance parties in Spain and Belgium. The expert, Dr. David Heymann, says the virus most likely passed from one person to another through sexual activity at the events.

The WHO says there are at least 90 cases of monkeypox in Europe, Australia and North America.

Heymann is a professor of infectious disease spread at the London School of Hygiene² and Tropical Medicine and former chief of health and security at the WHO.

"It looks like sexual contact has now amplified³ that transmission," Heymann told the Associated Press.

Denmark reported a first case of the disease on Monday. The WHO says there are more than 90 cases of monkeypox in 12 countries including Canada, Spain, Israel, France, Switzerland, the U.S. and Australia.

The top health leader in the Spanish capital, Madrid, said the city has 30 cases so far. Health officials are investigating a Gay Pride event attended by 80,000 people in the Canary Islands as a possible source of the outbreak. They are also investigating a gay-friendly business known as a sauna in Madrid. In Spain, a sauna is known as a place where gay men can go to have sex.

Most monkeypox patients experience a high temperature, pain around the body, and tiredness. More severe cases cause a raised rash and open skin wounds. It is not considered a sexually transmitted infection but close skin contact can cause spread. Most people get better in weeks and do not require hospitalization.

The WHO said the version of monkeypox in the current outbreak is similar to an outbreak detected in Great Britain, Nigeria, Israel and Singapore in 2018 and 2019. The WHO said it is less severe than past cases reported by countries in West Africa.

The agency said the wide spread of the virus is "highly unusual" and believes it may have been spreading without notice for a while.

The virus develops in the human body from about five days to three weeks after infection. Most people recover within about two to four weeks without needing to stay at a hospital.

Health officials in Great Britain said a large number of the cases are being seen in young men with no history of travel to Africa.

Heymann said it is possible there was one infected person who then spread it to others at a large event where they were in close contact with many people.

"There were these international events that seeded the outbreak around the world, into the U.S. and other European countries," he said.

He noted⁴ that monkeypox is not as worrisome as COVID-19 because it does not spread through the air. Heymann said it is important to slow down its spread "but we have vaccines⁵ to protect against it."

However, he noted there should be studies right away to find out if people who do not show signs of the virus can still spread it.

Words in This Story

amplify⁶ – v. to increase the strength of something

pride- n. a feeling that you respect yourself and deserve to be respected by other people

transmission– n. the act of sending something out or passing something from one thing to another

rash- n. spots on the skin usually caused by an illness or reaction to something

seed- v. to plant something in the ground so it grows or, in this case, to put an infection into the public and have it spread from person to person

1 adviser   

n.劝告者，顾问

参考例句：

• They employed me as an adviser.他们聘请我当顾问。
• Our department has engaged a foreign teacher as phonetic adviser.我们系已经聘请了一位外籍老师作为语音顾问。

2 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。

3 amplified   

放大，扩大( amplify的过去式和过去分词 )； 增强； 详述

参考例句：

• He amplified on his remarks with drawings and figures. 他用图表详细地解释了他的话。
• He amplified the whole course of the incident. 他详述了事件的全过程。

4 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。

5 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。

6 amplify   

vt.放大，增强；详述，详加解说

参考例句：

• The new manager wants to amplify the company.新经理想要扩大公司。
• Please amplify your remarks by giving us some examples.请举例详述你的话。