H7N9 flu

危言不該聳聽 流感需冷靜預防

Wēiyán bùgāi sǒngtīng liúgǎn xū lěngjìng yùfáng

H7N9 flu

就在中國宣稱已證實H7N9病例幾天之后,全世界的流感專家就開始搜集樣本中的DNA序列數據,這些樣本是從病人身上分離而出,試驗的目的是評估該種病毒的嚴重性.

Just days after authorities in China announced they had identified cases of H7N9, flu experts in laboratories across the world are picking through the DNA sequence data of samples isolated from patients to assess its severity.

中國國家健康與家庭規劃委員會已證實,已有16個人感染新型H7N9流感,其中6名患者已死亡.

China's National Health and Family Planning Commission confirmed that 16 people had been infected with the new H7N9 flu, with six deaths.

世界衛生組織宣稱,以上的H7N9病例具有極其重要的意義,因其是在人類中發現的首批病例.位于日內瓦的聯合國衛生代表處發表聲明,這是一個特殊的事件,世界衛生組織對此表示極為重視.

The World Health Organization (WHO) says the cases of H7N9 are 'of concern' because they are the first in humans. "That makes it a unique event, which the World Health Organization is taking seriously," the Geneva-based United Nations health agency said today.

流感病毒的分類依據是病毒株表面發現的兩種蛋白質,血凝素和神經氨酸苷酶,分別可以縮寫為H和N.目前為止,H7N9病毒株還未表現出可以在人群之間傳播的特征.

Flu viruses are classified based on two types of protein found on their surface, haemagglutinin and neuraminidase, which are abbreviated to H and N. So far, this lack of human-to-human transmission also appears to be a feature of the H7N9 strain.

其它的禽流感病毒株,比如H5N1,已經出現多年,可以在禽類之間傳播,禽類和人類之間傳播,但并不會在人群之間傳播.

Other strains of bird flu, such as H5N1, have been circulating for many years and can be transmitted from bird to bird and bird to human, but not from human to human.

盡管現在言之過早,但經過初步的分析,科學家聲稱,H7N9不會導致禽類患上特別嚴重的疾病---換句話說,它是一種比較輕微的家禽流行性感冒,也就是低致病性禽流感.

Although it is very early days, scientists says initial analysis also suggests H7N9 does not appear to make birds particularly ill - in other words it is what is known as a low pathogenic avian influenza, of LPAI.

但是世界頂尖的流感專家之一,來自荷蘭伊拉茲馬斯醫學中心的阿布•沃斯特沃斯聲稱,DNA序列顯明,專家應該對某些基因突變提高警惕,而且必須加強對動物與人體的有關監控.該項病毒的感染范圍已擴大至哺乳動物和人類,這也是令人煩惱不已的地方.我們必須對此保持緊密關注.

One of the world's top flu experts, Ab Osterhaus, from the Erasmus Medical Centre in The Netherlands, says the sequences show some genetic mutations that should put authorities on alert and entail increased surveillance in animals and humans.

詞語解釋：

嚴重性 （yánzhòng xìng） severity 

委員會 （wěiyuán huì） commission

傳播 （chuánbō） transmission

警惕 （jǐngtì） on alert

監控 （jiānkòng） surveillance

(Source: myechinese.com)