From VOA Learning English, this is the Health and Lifestyle report.
这里是美国之音慢速英语健康和生活方式报道。
Health officials in Brazil have declared a state of emergency in several states.
巴西卫生官员已经宣布数个州进入紧急状态。
They are also warning women to not get pregnant.
他们还警告女性不要怀孕。
These extreme actions are the result of a recent rise in birth defects. About 2,400 babies in Brazil were born recently with extremely small heads.
这些异乎寻常的举动是由于近期新生儿缺陷锐增的结果。巴西最近出生的2400名婴儿的头部都非常小。
The babies have a condition called microcephaly. Microcephaly causes severe brain damage. To date, 29 of these babies have died. The number of microcephaly cases in Brazil is about 10 times higher than what the country usually sees in a year.
这些婴儿患上了所谓的小头畸形症,它会导致严重的脑损伤。迄今为止这些婴儿中已经有29名婴儿死亡。巴西小头畸形症患者的数量是该国往年数量的10倍以上。
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) explains on its website that there many causes of microcephaly. And the World Health Organization (WHO) said in a statement that the cause of the microcephaly outbreak in Brazil had yet to be determined.
美国疾病控制预防中心在其网站上解释说,小头畸形症有多方面的原因。世界卫生组织在一份声明中表示,巴西小头畸形症爆发的原因尚未确定。
However, the CDC says the link between a virus infection and microcephaly is being investigated.
然而,美国疾病控制预防中心表示正在调查一种病毒感染和小头畸形症之间的联系。
The virus is called Zika. Zika is spread by mosquitos. Some babies in Brazil with microcephaly have tested positive for the Zika virus while others have tested negative.
这种病毒被称之为寨卡病毒(又称兹卡、塞卡病毒),它经由蚊虫传播。巴西一些患有小头畸形症的婴儿寨卡病毒检测结果呈阳性,而另一些婴儿检测结果呈阴性。
The CDC says that Brazil reported its first case of Zika virus in May 2015. Since then, the virus has spread and has caused infections in many Brazilian states and other countries in Latin America.
美国疾病控制预防中心表示,巴西于2015年5月报告了首起寨卡病毒案例。自那时起,这种病毒传播开来,并导致巴西许多州以及拉丁美洲其它国家被感染。
According to other news agencies, health officials have reported many cases of microcephaly in Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo.
根据其它新闻机构的报道,卫生官员已经报告了里约热内卢和圣保罗的多起小头畸形症的案例。
Reuters news agency reports that the Zika virus has been confirmed this year in Panama, Venezuela, El Salvador, Mexico, Suriname, Colombia, Guatemala and Paraguay.
路透社报道称,寨卡病毒今年已经在巴拿马、委内瑞拉、萨尔瓦多、墨西哥、苏里南、哥伦比亚、危地马拉和巴拉圭被证实。
Zika is also found in Africa and Southeast Asia.
非洲和东南亚也发现了寨卡病毒。
The CDC has a webpage with information on Zika. It says that because the "mosquitoes that spread Zika virus are found throughout the world, it is likely that outbreaks will spread to new countries."
美国疾病控制预防中心网站上有寨卡病毒信息的网页。该网页表示,因为传播寨卡病毒的蚊子在世界各地都已经发现,疫情很可能会蔓延到新的国家。
Symptoms of Zika
寨卡病毒的症状
The CDC says the common symptoms of Zika are fever, rash, headache, joint pain and red eyes. Zika causes mostly mild symptoms in adults. However, in newborns the disease can cause severe brain damage.
美国疾病控制预防中心表示,寨卡病毒的常见症状有发热、皮疹、头痛、关节痛和眼睛发红。寨卡病毒在成年人中导致的症状大多很轻微。然而,这种疾病在新生儿中会引起严重的脑损伤。
There is no vaccine or medicine to prevent or treat Zika. Travelers and especially pregnant women are advised to protect themselves by avoiding mosquito bites.
目前尚没有预防或治疗寨卡病毒的疫苗或药物。旅行者,特别是孕妇应该避免被蚊虫叮咬以保护自己。
Health officials around the world are watching the situation closely.
世界各地的卫生官员都在密切关注这一情况。
I'm Anna Matteo.
我是安娜·马特奥
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