Covid-19 has changed everyday life for people in countries around the world. But coronavirus wasn’t the first pandemic to cause mass sickness and disrupt daily life.
Between 2002 and 2004 an outbreak of the disease known as SARS or 'severe acute respiratory syndrome' caused hundreds of deaths in southern China before spreading to other parts of the world.
The virus that caused SARS survived by mutating – changing as it reproduced itself in the bodies of infected people and this caused the virus to create strains – slight variations of the original.
Covid-19, the disease caused by the strain of the original SARS virus we are experiencing now, has been called SARS 2.
Covid-19 是由我们现在正在经历的原始 SARS 病毒株引起的疾病，被称为 SARS 2。
Neil(尼尔)
In this programme, we’ll be looking at the origins of Covid-19 and hearing new evidence about the scale of the threat we face from the disease. And of course we’ll be learning some new vocabulary as well. But first it’s time for our quiz question. We know that white blood cells make up part of the immune system our body needs to fight infectious diseases like Covid-19. But how many white blood cells per microlitre does the average adult human need? Is it: a) 7,000; b) 17,000, or c) 70,000?
Hmmm, in that case I’d say more is better, so c) 70,000.
嗯，在那种情况下，我会说越多越好，所以 c） 70,000。
Neil(尼尔)
OK, we’ll find out the answer at the end of the programme. Now, Georgina, you mentioned that the disease spreading across the world today wasn’t the first Covid-19-type disease.
That’s right. In fact a recent research project in China has identified over 700 different types of coronavirus carried by bats. Some of these virus strains are thought to have already crossed over to humans.
Dr Peter Daszak of New York’s Eco-Health Alliance thinks that new strains of the virus have the potential to cause future pandemics. He spent years in the Chinese countryside looking for the coronaviruses that could jump from bats to humans.
Here he is talking to the BBC World Service programme, Science in Action…
在这里，他正在与英国广播公司世界服务节目“科学在行动”交谈。
Dr Peter Daszak(Peter Daszak 博士)
It would have been great to have found the precursor to SARS 2, but what would have been even better was to have found it before SARS 2 emerged and raise the red flag on it and stop the outbreak. But we didn’t do that. What we were looking for were… at the time … our hypothesis was that SARS 1, the original SARS virus which we all thought had disappeared, was still out there in bats – and that was what we were looking for. So we found a lot of SARS 1-related viruses.
Covid-19 may have been contained if scientists had known more about the disease’s precursor – that's a situation which existed before something and led to the development of that thing. Here, the precursor of Covid-19 was the original SARS 1.
Any new cases of the virus would have been a red flag for another outbreak - a symbol of danger and that some action needs to be taken.
任何新的病毒病例都将是另一次爆发的危险信号 - 这是危险的象征，需要采取一些行动。
Neil(尼尔)
Dr Daszak believed that some form of SARS remained in bats and based his investigations on this hypothesis – an idea which is suggested as a possible explanation of something but which has not yet been proved correct.
Another scientist working to prevent new epidemics is the pathologist Professor Mary Fowkes.
另一位致力于预防新流行病的科学家是病理学家玛丽·福克斯教授。
Neil(尼尔)
The original SARS was treated as a respiratory disease which attacks the lungs.
最初的SARS被当作一种攻击肺部的呼吸系统疾病来治疗。
Georgina(乔治娜)
But when working with infected patients, Professor Fowkes noticed that Covid- 19 was damaging the brain, blood and other organs as well.
但是在与受感染的患者一起工作时，福克斯教授注意到 Covid-19 也在损害大脑、血液和其他器官。
Prof Mary Fowkes(Mary Fowkes 教授)
Clinicians have recognised that a lot of patients that have Covid-19 are exhibiting confusion, are not necessarily aware of their environment appropriately, some are having seizures, so there are some central nervous system abnormalities. And as you know, a lot of patients are exhibiting loss of sense of smell and that is a direct connection to the brain as well.
In some infected patients coronavirus attacks the central nervous system - the body’s main system of nerve control consisting of the brain and spinal cord.
在一些感染患者中，冠状病毒会攻击中枢神经系统 - 由大脑和脊髓组成的人体主要神经控制系统。
Georgina(乔治娜)
When severe, this can cause seizures - sudden, violent attack of an illness, often affecting the heart or brain.
严重时，这可能导致癫痫发作 - 疾病的突然，猛烈发作，通常影响心脏或大脑。
Neil(尼尔)
It seems that Covid-19-type diseases are not going to disappear any time soon.
Covid-19类型的疾病似乎不会很快消失。
Georgina(乔治娜)
Reminding us of the importance of the scientific research we’ve heard about today.
提醒我们今天所听到的科学研究的重要性。
Neil(尼尔)
And the importance of boosting your immunity… which reminds me of today’s quiz question.
以及增强免疫力的重要性......这让我想起了今天的测验问题。
Georgina(乔治娜)
You asked me how many white blood cells per microlitre the human body has. I said c) 70,000.
你问我人体每微升有多少白细胞。我说c）70,000。
Neil(尼尔)
Well, if that’s true you’ve definitely boosted your immunity, Georgina, because the correct answer is c) 7,000.
好吧，如果这是真的，你肯定增强了你的免疫力，乔治娜，因为正确答案是 c） 7,000。
Georgina(乔治娜)
Today we’ve been discussing the strains – or slight variations, of the virus which causes Covid-19.
今天，我们一直在讨论导致 Covid-19 的病毒株或细微变化。
Neil(尼尔)
Covid-19 has a previous disease called SARS as its precursor – a situation which existed before something and caused the development of that thing.
Researchers used the idea that the virus have passed to humans from bats as their hypothesis – possible explanation for something which has not yet been proved true.
研究人员将病毒从蝙蝠传给人类的想法作为他们的假设 —— 对尚未被证明是正确的事情的可能解释。
Neil(尼尔)
By identifying new virus strains, doctors hope unexplained cases can act as a red flag – a warning sign of danger, to prevent further outbreaks.
Knowing about new strains is increasingly important as we find out more about how coronavirus attacks the body’s central nervous system – the brain and spinal cord, which in some patients can cause seizures - sudden, violent attacks of an illness, especially affecting the heart or brain.
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