Measles is only found in human beings. There is a highly effective and safe vaccine for the disease. So,intheory, measles could be destroyed.
麻疹只感染人类。有一种治疗该疾病的高效且安全的疫苗。因此,理论上麻疹是可以消灭的。
Yet the number of measles cases is on the rise.
但是,麻疹病例的数量却在不断增加。
The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that, in the first three months of 2019, the number of cases is three times higher than it was last year.
世界卫生组织(简称WHO)的报告显示,2019年前三个月的麻疹病例比去年同期高出三倍。
Africa alone has had a 700-percent increasecompared tolast year.
与去年相比,仅非洲的麻疹病例就增加了700%。
The Democratic Republic of Congo reported 67,000 measles cases and 901 measles-related deaths in 2018. This year, WHO officials have noted more than 16,000 suspected measles cases in the country. That number includes 284 measles-related deaths in the first weeks of 2019.
Between September 2018 and February 2019, Madagascar reported over 67,000 measles cases, including 828 deaths.
2018年9月至2019年2月,马达加斯加报告了超过6.7万例麻疹病例,其中828人死亡。
Dr. Anthony Fauci directs the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, part of the United States government's National Institutes of Health. He says the measles situation in Madagascar is extremely serious.
Fauci told VOA that "one in 10 children who get infected with measles will get an ear infection that could cause deafness. One in 20 would get pneumonia. One in a thousand would get brain swelling, what we call encephalitis, and one to three per thousand would die. To say that measles is a trivial disease is completely incorrect."
Walter Orenstein is with the Emory University Vaccine Center in Atlanta, Georgia. He has spent his life working to end measles. Orenstein says possible effects of the disease are worse in poor countries.
"Youstart offwith children who are already at greater risk. They may be malnourished. They may have compromised immune systems. They may be underweight and may have no access to health care so measles is a big killer," he said.
You have a 90 percent chance of getting measles if you have not been vaccinated and youcome in contact withsomeone who has it. Dr. Rebecca Martin is the Director of the Center for Global Health at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. She is working to remove measles from Africa completely.
"It is very infectious. It will find everybody who is not protected against measles," Martin said.
马丁表示,“麻疹的传染性非常高。任何没有接种过麻疹疫苗的人都可能会被感染。”
Health experts advise patients to get two treatments of the measles vaccine. U.S. health officials say educating parents about both the disease and the vaccine is an important step in stopping the spread.