专题：甲流

关注甲型H1N1流感

[ 2009-05-15 13:44 ]

With a new H1N1 influenza virus spreading around the world, governments in many countries have revived advertisements entreating people to observe personal hygiene.The next time you cough or sneeze, there is good reason to cover your mouth.

眼下一种新型的H1N1流感病毒正在全球广泛传播，很多国家的政府纷纷重新打出广告，提醒人们注意个人卫生。今后你咳嗽或打喷嚏时，就有充分的理由捂住嘴了。

1.A/H1N1 流感英语词汇

[ 2009-05-12 15:57 ]

继禽流感之后，又一个与动物相关的疫情―甲型H1N1流感‖正在来势汹汹地对人类构成威胁，除了重灾区墨西哥以及毗邻的美国已发现不少例―甲型H1N1流感‖感染甚至死亡的疫情之外，我国香港地区也在5月1日确认发现了第一起人感染―甲型H1N1流感‖病例，而多达189人与香港确诊的那位墨西哥籍甲型H1N1流感患者同乘墨西哥飞上海的航班，由此可见，对于―甲型H1N1流感‖的危险性，我们切莫等闲视之。

在全球媒体铺天盖地的―甲型H1N1流感‖疫情报道中，甲型H1N1流感曾被普遍称为―猪流感‖，虽然之后世卫组织就明确表示用―猪流感‖表示此次疫情并不合适，但毕竟这已经是一个家喻户晓的词语。相信读者已经注意到，―猪流感‖在英语中的说法并非pig flu而是swine flu，也就是说，这里的―猪‖不是使用了我国广大英语学习者很熟悉的pig 一词，而是使用了很多人所不熟悉的单词swine。

英语中用来称呼―猪‖的单词除了大家熟悉的pig之外还有swine和hog，就这三个单词的词义而言，pig无疑是目前最常用的单词，―养猪场‖就叫做pig farm，养猪的农民就叫做pig farmer，―养猪‖是raise pig，―养猪业‖就是pig industry 等等。Swine的词义现在更多时候已经发生变化，含有明显的贬义，通常被用来表示―猪猡‖，―下流胚‖等。Hog主要是美国英语用法，倾向于指已经养得膘肥体壮可以进入屠宰程序的猪（―Hog‖will generally refer to animals at or nearing market weight or finished for market）。

在上述三个单词中，swine虽然目前在英语词汇中已经偏离其表示―猪‖的本义，但是许多英语辞典指出它也是一个专业说法，也就是说，它是―猪‖的术语说法，如同―猪瘟‖在英语中叫做swine fever一样。因此，―猪流感‖就被称为swine flu而不是pig flu。不过，著名的网络百科全书wikipedia对―猪流感‖有着如下解释：

Swine influenza (also called swine flu, hog flu or pig flu) refers to an influenza caused by any strain of the influenza virus endemic in pigs (swine). Strains endemic in swine are called swine influenza virus.

上述释义明确了―猪流感‖就是swine flu，但是，hog flu和pig flu这样的说法也并非不可以。只是相对而言，swine flu 更专业更正式一些，也成为媒体所接受的固定用法。从世卫组织对swine flu的定义a respiratory disease of pigs caused by type A influenza viruses that causes regular outbreaks in pigs也可以看出，swine只是一个更加专业的说法，或者说已成为一个约定俗成的说法，但其实质就是pig所感染的呼吸系统疾病，即感冒，其道理也许就如同―禽流感‖的专业术语是avian flu而通俗说法为bird flu一样，前者显得更正式，而后者体现了大众化特点。

事实上，与动物相关的流感，一般来说就是用动物的名称加上flu，如dog flu，horse flu等等，而人类流感则叫做human flu，仅有的差别只是流感病毒的宿主（host）不同而已，如Wikipedia对bird flu的释义：―Bird flu‖is a phrase similar to―Swine flu‖,―Dog flu‖,―Horse flu‖, or―Human flu‖in that it refers to an illness caused by any of many different strains of influenza viruses that have adapted to a specific host.

在此次―猪流感‖疫情中，除了学习到了swine flu这一表达之外，我们还可以学习到其他一些相关词汇，

如flu vaccine（流感疫苗），flu caseload（感染病例数），shot（注射，打针，eg. The nurse gave me a flu shot.护士给我打了治疗流感的针），flu strain（流感病毒株），anti-viral medications（抗病毒药物），make a vaccine against （研制出一种抗……的疫苗），ease flu symptoms（减轻流感症状）等等。在最近有关―甲型H1N1流感‖的新闻报道中，出现频率较高的相关词汇还有contagious（会传染的），respiratory disease（呼吸道疾病），circulate（传播），contaminate（传染），infect（感染），contract（感染），epidemic（流行病，时疫），epidemiologists（流行病学专家），pandemic（尤指全国性流行的疾病），pneumonias（肺炎），case（病例），confirmed case（确诊病例），suspected

case（疑似病例），incubation period（潜伏期），outbreak（爆发），mutate into a more dangerous strain（突变成更危险病毒株），human-to-human transmission/spread/infection（人与人之间的传播/感染），cough（咳嗽），sneeze （打喷嚏），antiviral drug（抗病毒药物），symptom（症候），face mask（面罩），test positive/negative（检测呈阳性/阴性），develop a fever（出现发烧/发热症状），precautionary measures（预防措施），avoid contacts with（避免与……接触），quarantee（医学隔离），isolate（隔离，通俗用词），step up surveillance（加强检测），flu jitters （流感恐慌），contain（遏制），stem the spread of the virus（制止病毒的扩散），public health emergency of international concern（国际关注的突发公共卫生事件）等等。以下是与上述部分词语相关的一些例句：

1． Canadaon Wednesday confirmed its first human-to-human spread of A/H1N1 flu infection, as the country' s total cases rise to 19.

2． Researchers have confirmed two cases of human to human transmission of the A/H1N1influenza virus, raising the possibility that the infection could soon gain a foothold among people, with the potential to strike millions.

3． Scientists at the National Microbiology Laboratory have found that the virus appears to have an incubation period of two to seven days.

4． The Canadian public remains calm and the government has urged necessary precautionary measures such as washing hands frequently and avoiding contacts with people having flu symptoms.

5．All new cases are mild, but one of the patients in British Columbia has not been to Mexico recently and is believed to contract the virus from another person.

6． The above comments leave little doubt that the H1N1 flu is being efficiently transmitted human to human in southern California.

7． Hong Kong quarantined hundreds of hotel guests and workers Friday after a tourist from Mexico tested positive for A/H1N1 flu,Asia's first confirmed case of the disease.

8． China will track down the other passengers on the flight from Mexico to Shanghai and quarantine them for seven days, the country's Ministry of Health said in a statement Friday.

9． Governments worldwide raced to contain the spread of a new strain of A/H1N1 flu that has killed over 80 people in Mexico,amid a fresh warning that the virus could mutate into a more dangerous strain.

10．Around the world, governments are scrambling to stem the spread of a new A/H1N1 flu virus that has killed at least 103 people in Mexico, Reuters reported.

11．The World Health Organization declared the outbreak– which has components of classic avian, human and A/H1N1 flu viruses -- a ―public health emergency of international concern‖.

About the author:

王银泉，南京农业大学外国语学院英语教授，硕士生导师，大学外语

部主任。2007年4月由江苏省省委常委集体讨论入选为江苏省"333

高层次人才培养工程"首批中青年科学技术带头人。南京农业大学133

人才培养工程英语学科学术带头人。南京农业大学大学英语教学改革

总主持人。1996年获国家留学基金首批资助。1997年10月至1998

年10月留学加拿大渥太华大学并进修研究生核心课程。曾访问英美。迄今为止已

在《外语教学与研究》和《中国翻译》等核心刊物上发表论文40余篇，其中CSSCI

来源期刊文章13篇（依据2006年度CSSCI来源期刊）。主编教材1部，教辅图

书1部，参编词典1部，在编专著2部。

2.猪流感常识早知道

[ 2009-04-29 13:21 ]

什么是猪流感？What is Swine Influenza?

猪流感(Swine Influenza, swine flu)是猪的一种呼吸道疾病，它的病原是一种能造成周期性爆发的A型流感病毒。猪流感病毒的致病率很高，但猪的死亡率低。猪流感病毒在全年都有可能传播，但大部分会在深秋和冬季月份爆发，这一点与人流感类似。典型的猪流感病毒(A型H1N1病毒)于1930年第一次从猪身上分离出来。

Swine Influenza (swine flu) is a respiratory disease of pigs caused by type A influenza virus that regularly causes outbreaks of influenza in pigs. Swine flu viruses cause high levels of illness and low death rates in pigs. Swine influenza viruses may circulate among swine throughout the year, but most outbreaks occur during the late fall and winter months similar to outbreaks in humans. The classical swine flu virus (an influenza type A H1N1 virus) was first isolated from a pig in 1930.

现在有多少种猪流感病毒？How many swine flu viruses are there?

就像所有的流感病毒一样，猪流感病毒也在不停地变化当中。禽流感，人流感以及猪流感病毒都会对猪造成感染；当不同种来源的流感病毒同时感染时，病毒之间就会重新―洗牌‖(交换基因)，从而产生一种新的―禽人猪‖混合病毒。随着时间的推移，也出现了猪流感病毒的多种变种：现在人们从猪身上分离出了4种主要的A型流感病毒亚型：H1N1, H1N2, H3N2, H3N1。但最近从猪分离出来的流感病毒大部分都是H1N1型病毒。

Like all influenza viruses, swine flu viruses change constantly. Pigs can be infected by avian influenza and human influenza viruses as well as swine influenza viruses. When influenza viruses from different species infect pigs, the viruses can reassort (i.e. swap genes) and new viruses that are a mix of swine, human and/or avian influenza viruses can emerge. Over the years, different variations of swine flu viruses have emerged. At this time, there are four main influenza type A virus subtypes that have been isolated in pigs: H1N1, H1N2, H3N2, and H3N1. However, most of the recently isolated influenza viruses from pigs have been H1N1 viruses.

人类会感染猪流感吗？Can humans catch swine flu?

一般来说猪流感并不会感染人类，但人们已经发现了少数人类感染猪流感的病例。这些病例大部分出现在与猪有直接接触的人群中(例如，市场上与猪接触的儿童，以及养猪业的工人)。另外也有一些病例是猪流感从一个人传染到另一个人的情况，例如1988年在威斯康星爆发的猪流感造成了多人感染。尽管猪流感没有在社区中传播开来，但抗体实验证实病毒从病人传播到了与其有近距离接触的医护人员身上。

Swine flu viruses do not normally infect humans. However, sporadic human infections with swine flu have occurred. Most commonly, these cases occur in persons with direct exposure to pigs (e.g. children near pigs at a fair or workers in the swine industry). In addition, there have been documented cases of one person spreading swine flu to others. For example, an outbreak of apparent swine flu infection in pigs in Wisconsin in 1988 resulted in multiple human infections, and, although no community outbreak resulted, there was antibody evidence of virus transmission from the patient to health care workers who had close contact with the patient.

人类感染猪流感的症状是什么？What are the symptoms of swine flu in humans?

人类感染猪流感的症状预计会与人类感染季节性流感的症状类似，包括发烧，瞌睡，厌食以及咳嗽。一些感染猪流感的病人出现了流鼻涕，咽喉痛，恶心，呕吐以及腹泻的症状。

The symptoms of swine flu in people are expected to be similar to the symptoms of regular human seasonal influenza and include fever, lethargy, lack of appetite and coughing. Some people with swine flu also have reported runny nose, sore throat, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.

吃猪肉会感染猪流感吗？Can people catch swine flu from eating pork?

不会，猪流感病毒不会通过食物传播。吃猪肉或者猪肉制品不会使人感染猪流感，因此食用妥善处理过或者烹调过的猪肉及猪肉制品是安全的。与其他细菌或者病毒一样，将猪肉加热至内温160°F(71.1 °C)就会杀死猪流感病毒。

No. Swine influenza viruses are not transmitted by food. You can not get swine influenza from eating pork or pork products. Eating properly handled and cooked pork and pork products is safe. Cooking pork to an internal temperature of 160°F kills the swine flu virus as it does other bacteria and viruses.

猪流感是如何传播的？How does swine flu spread?

流感病毒能够直接从猪传染到人，或者从人传染到猪。人被猪感染最常见的情形是人与受感染的猪有近距离接触，例如在猪圈里，或者在市场上展出的猪。人与人的猪流感传播也是可能的，它的传播方式被认为与季节性流感传播的方式一样，即主要通过病人的咳嗽，打喷嚏的方式在人群之间传播。在接触含有病毒的物体之后再摸嘴巴或者摸鼻子也有可能感染病毒。Influenza viruses can be directly transmitted from pigs to people and from people to pigs. Human infection with flu viruses from pigs are most likely to occur when people are in close proximity to infected pigs, such as in pig barns and livestock exhibits housing pigs at fairs. Human-to-human transmission of swine flu can also occur. This is thought to occur in the same way as seasonal flu occurs in people, which is mainly person-to-person transmission through coughing or sneezing of people infected with the influenza virus. People may become infected by touching something with flu viruses on it and then touching their mouth or nose.

如何诊断人感染了猪流感？How can human infections with swine influenza be diagnosed?

如果需要诊断A型猪流感，一般需要收集病人最开始4-5天发病期的呼吸道标本，这段时间是病人最有可能传播病毒的时期。但对某些人(特别是儿童)可能在最开始的10天时间(或者更长)就开始传播病毒。如果需要确认A型猪流感病毒，需要将标本送至CDC进行实验室检验。

To diagnose swine influenza A infection, a respiratory specimen would generally need to be collected within the first 4 to 5 days of illness (when an infected person is most likely to be shedding virus). However, some persons, especially children, may shed virus for 10 days or longer. Identification as a swine flu influenza A virus requires sending the specimen to CDC for laboratory testing.

感染了猪流感的病人有何治疗措施？What medications are available to treat swine flu infections in humans?

现在有4种抗病毒药品被允许在美国治疗流感：金刚烷胺(amantadine)，金刚乙胺（rimantadine），奥塞米韦(oseltamivir)和扎那米韦(zanamivir)。这四种药品对大部分猪流感病毒都有效，但最近从人类分离出来的猪流感病毒对金刚烷胺和金刚乙胺有抗药性。因此，CDC 建议使用奥塞米韦和扎那米韦来对猪流感病毒进行治疗和/或预防。

There are four different antiviral drugs that are licensed for use in the US for the treatment of influenza: amantadine, rimantadine, oseltamivir and zanamivir. While most swine influenza viruses have been susceptible to all four drugs, the most recent swine influenza viruses isolated from humans are resistant to amantadine and rimantadine. At this time, CDC recommends the use of oseltamivir or zanamivir for the treatment and/or prevention of infection with swine influenza viruses.

（英语点津Jennifer编辑）

3.以色列建议猪流感改称墨西哥流感

Flu scourge has a pig of a name for Jewish state

[ 2009-04-28 16:31 ]

It may be called swine flu around the world, but a senior Israeli official on Monday changed the term in order not to pronounce the name of the animal whose meat is banned by Judaism.

"We will use the term Mexican flu in order not to have to pronounce the word swine," said Deputy Health Minister Yakov Litzman of the ultra-religious United Torah Judaism party.

Eating pork is prohibited by Judaism, the religion practised by the majority of Israelis. Islam, adhered to by most of Israel's Arab minority, likewise bans the consumption of pork.

Israel has yet to confirm a case of the swine flu epidemic that is believed to have killed more than 100 people in Mexico and has spread to the United States and Europe.

A 26-year-old Israeli man who returned from Mexico last Friday has been hospitalised and authorities are waiting for test results to determine whether he has contracted the potentially deadly strain that the World Health Organisation has warned could reach pandemic proportions.

Another man who had recently returned from Mexico was quarantined on Monday after checking himself into a hospital in the centre of the country complaining of a sore throat, officials said.

The World Organisation for Animal Health said on Monday that the name swine flu is a misnomer as the deadly virus has origins among birds and humans as well as pigs.

可能全世界都称眼下的这场疾病为“猪流感”，但以色列一位高级官员于本周一改变了这一叫法以避免直呼“猪”名，因为以色列的犹太教禁食猪肉。

以色列卫生部副部长雅科夫?利兹曼说：“为了避讳…猪?这个字眼，我们将使用…墨西哥流感?这一说法”。雅科夫是极端虔诚的圣经犹太教联盟党成员。

多数以色列人信奉的犹太教禁食猪肉，而生活在以色列的大多数阿拉伯少数民族信奉的伊斯兰教也同样禁食猪肉。

目前以色列尚未确诊猪流感传染病例，据称猪流感已导致墨西哥一百多人死亡，并已蔓延至美国和欧洲。

上周五从墨西哥回国的一名26岁的以色列人已经住院，官方正在等待检查结果，以确定他是否感染了这种潜在致命性疾病，世界卫生组织提醒称这场疾病可能会大范围流行。

以色列有关官员称，另一名刚从墨西哥回国的男子因咽喉疼痛住进了以色列中部的一家医院，之后他于本周一被隔离。

世界动物卫生组织于本周一称，“猪流感”的说法不够恰当，因为这种致命性病毒的源头不仅存在于猪体内，还存在于禽类和人体内。

（实习生许雅宁英语点津姗姗编辑）

V ocabulary:

misnomer:application of a wrong name（用词不当；误称）

4.墨西哥猪流感＋地震祸不单行

Quake jars already-nervous Mexico City residents

[ 2009-04-28 11:37 ]

近期遭遇猪流感爆发、已致149人丧生的墨西哥又遇地震天灾。根据美国地质勘探局监测结果，墨西哥当地时间27日发生里氏5.6级地震。地震震中位于墨西哥南部格雷罗州奇潘西戈市附近，在首都墨西哥城西南210公里，首都墨西哥城震感强烈。据当地警方表示，除格雷罗州两名年龄为67岁和75岁的老妇在地震中因心脏病突发死亡外，目前没有其他伤亡报告。strong earthquake struck central Mexico on Monday, swaying tall buildings in the capital and rattling nerves in a city already tense from a swine flu outbreak suspected of killing as many

as 149 people nationwide.

Near the epicenter in the Pacific coast state of Guerrero, two women aged 67 and 75 died of heart attacks during or shortly after the earthquake, and four homes and a perimeter wall collapsed in and around the resort of Acapulco, state police reported.

"I'm scared," said Sarai Luna Pajas, a 22-year-old social services worker standing outside her Mexico City office building moments after it hit. "We Mexicans are not used to living with so much fear, but all that is happening — the economic crisis, the illnesses and now this — it feels like the Apocalypse."

Co-worker Harold Gutierrez, 21, said the country was taking comfort from its religious faith, but he too was gripped by the sensation that the world might be coming to an end.

"If it is, it is God's plan," Gutierrez said, speaking over a green mask he wore to ward off swine flu.

There were no reports of injuries or major damages in Mexico City.

The quake had a magnitude of 5.6 and was centered near Chilpancingo, about 130 miles (210 kilometers) southwest of Mexico City or 50 miles (80 kilometers) from Acapulco, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

Tourists also streamed out of hotels in Acapulco and congregated on sidewalks and medians for several minutes. Local Civil Protection officer Silvia Rodriguez said there were no injuries there.

USGS earthquake analyst Don Blakeman said the quake was felt strongly in Mexico City because the epicenter was relatively shallow and the ground under the capital — which is built on a former lake bed — tends to intensify shock waves.

"Distant quakes are often felt" strongly in the city, he said.

The USGS revised the quake's magnitude down from its preliminary estimate of 6.0, and said its depth was 30 miles (50 kilometers).

5.猪流感swine flu

[ 2009-04-28 09:19 ]

墨西哥爆发猪流感疫情后，截至4月27日，疑因感染这种新型病毒死亡的人数已达81人，美国确认的病例也增至11例，而纽约市还有8个疑似病例。法国、新西兰、以色列也开始纷传疑似病例，使得气氛愈加紧张，各国纷纷着手加强防范措施。

请看外电的报道:

Churches stood empty yesterday in heavily Roman Catholic Mexico City after services were canceled, and health workers screened airports and bus stations for people sickened by a new strain of swine flu that experts fear could become a global epidemic.

昨日，天主教盛行的墨西哥城各家教堂均不见人影，教堂活动已被取消，卫生部门工作人员在机场和车站巡查感染猪流感的疑似病人，专家表示此次猪流感可能会演变为全球性疫情。

上面的报道中，swine flu就是最近颇受关注的―猪流感‖，全称为swine influenza，定义为a respiratory disease of pigs caused by type A influenza viruses that causes regular outbreaks in pigs（一种由A类流感病毒引起并在猪中间传播的呼吸系统疾病），此类病毒一般不会传给人类。但是据专业部门研究表示，此次发生在墨西哥的H1N1类猪流感病毒具传染性，而且还会在人类中传播。

The symptoms of swine flu in people are similar to the symptoms of regular human flu and include fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue. Some people have reported diarrhea and vomiting associated with swine flu.

人类感染猪流感表现出的症状与普通流感症状相似，如发烧、咳嗽、咽喉肿痛、身体疼痛、头

痛、发冷及易疲劳等。还有人感染猪流感病毒后表现出腹泻及呕吐的症状。

至今，影响到人类的动物类流感有bird flu（禽流感）和swine flu（猪流感），普通的human flu（人类流感）还会因季节的变化而出现seasonal flu（季节性流感）。这些flu虽然症状相似，但是传染度和严重程度却大不相同，需要引起人们足够的重视。

6.戴口罩能预防猪流感吗？

[ 2009-05-15 10:45 ]

One of the abiding images of the swine flu outbreak is the pictures from Mexico of people wandering the streets wearing masks.

自从猪流感爆发以来，墨西哥街头来往人群戴口罩的场景已经成为电视上常见的镜头之一。But while the scramble is understandable, experts are sceptical about just how useful they are.

人们这样做尽管可以理解，但不少专家依旧质疑这样做的效果。

Professor John Oxford, a virologist at leading London hospital, said: "Really, there is very little evidence that masks actually offer much protection against flu.

伦敦医院的病毒学家约翰?奥克斯福德教授表示，戴上口罩就能预防流感的证据十分微薄。

It is these sorts of issues that has prompted officials from groups such as the World Health Organization and England's Health Protection Agency to steer clear of calling for them for general public use.

正是由于上述的这些因素，诸如世界卫生组织以及英国保健局之类的官方机构一直拒绝倡导公众都要戴口罩。

While Mexico has handed them out to members of the public, most other countries, including the UK, are just reserving them for health staff.

墨西哥给公众发口罩，而包括英国在内的大多数国家，目前还只是主张医护人员需要佩戴口罩。Others, such as Belgium, have bought some for flu patients, while several, including Spain, have handed them out to passengers on planes returning from affected areas.

其他国家的反应不一。比利时给流感病人购置了一批口罩，而西班牙则在从感染区返航的飞机上给乘客发送口罩。

Health workers have been told to wear them, along with special gloves, if they are in contact with potential victims.

医护人员在接触疑似病例的时候，需要佩戴口罩和特制的手套。

Dr Ronald Cutler, deputy director of biomedical science at the University of London, said: "If you sneeze with a mask the virus will be contained so from that point of view if everyone wore them it might stop the spread.

伦敦大学生理医学副总监罗纳德?卡特勒医生表示，如果感染病毒的人打喷嚏的时候带着口罩，那么可以防止把病毒传染给别人。从这个角度来讲，只要大家都带口罩，就能限制病毒传播。"They are not bio-chemical suits. Masks are obviously just covering one part of the body so your hands and clothes could all have the virus on and when you take them off you will infect yourself. "

―口罩并不是生化产品，它们显然只能保护身体的一部分。手上、衣服上同样会携带病毒，当你脱衣服的时候，你就可能被感染。‖

"However, because people are wearing a mask they will think they are protected and may go into crowded areas. "The best advice is to wash your hands and cover your mouth when sneezing."

所以，人们不能因为戴了口罩就掉以轻心，想当然地进出拥挤场所。―最好的办法就是洗手，并

在打喷嚏的时候用手遮住口部。‖

（英语点津Jennifer编辑）

7.新加坡发起全民洗手运动防止疾病传播

Singapore urges public to pass the soap

[ 2009-04-29 09:09 ]

Singapore, one of cleanest nations in Southeast Asia, launched on Monday a campaign to teach people how to wash their hands properly to help curb the spread of disease.

The campaign was planned before governments around the world moved to contain the spread of the swine flu virus, which has so far killed 103 people in Mexico, and spread to the United States and possibly as far as New Zealand.

Leading public hospital Tan Tock Seng kicked off the "CSI" or clean, safe, infection-free campaign with a lucky draw that gives thorough hand-washers the chance to win a sports car, a plasma TV or shopping vouchers.

"Good hand hygiene is crucial in stemming the spread of infections and there is no reason why the public should not learn the seven steps to hand washing practiced by medical professionals," said Chng Hiok Hee, a doctor at the hospital and the head of the two-month-long campaign.

The seven handwashing steps include interlacing your fingers and rubbing your hands together, rubbing your thumbs and wrists, and rubbing your fingertips on your palms, to clean all areas.

Like other nations in Asia, Singapore, which was hit hard by the 2003 SARS respiratory virus epidemic, is on alert for swine flu, stepping up precautionary measures by putting thermal scanners at its airport to check the temperatures of travelers.

Influenza can spread from coughs or sneezes, but an increasing body of evidence shows little particles of virus can linger on tabletops, telephones and other surfaces and be transferred via the fingers to the mouth, nose or eyes.

Little can be done to prevent an outbreak of flu from spreading, health experts caution, but they say common sense measures can help individuals protect themselves and the number one action is handwashing.

东南亚最讲究清洁的国家之一新加坡于本周一发起了一项教国民如何正确洗手的运动，以防止疾病的传播。

该活动计划于世界各地政府纷纷采取措施控制猪流感病毒蔓延之前。迄今为止，猪流感已造成墨西哥103人死亡，并且蔓延至美国，可能还会传播至新西兰。

这项以CSI（清洁、安全、无感染）为主题的活动由新加坡大型公立医院陈笃生医院发起。洗手干净彻底者可参加幸运抽奖，有机会赢得跑车、等离子电视或购物券等奖品。

该活动将为期两个月，该医院负责该活动的Chng Hiok He医生说：“良好的手部卫生对于预防病毒传播十分关键，公众没有理由不去学习医学专业人士所遵行的七步洗手法。”

“七步洗手法”的步骤包括：交叉手指，揉搓双手，揉搓拇指和手腕，在手掌上揉搓指尖，最后清洗所有区域。

与亚洲其它国家一样，新加坡正高度警戒猪流感疫情，并已加强预防措施，如在机场安装体温检测仪，检查来往旅客的体温。新加坡于2003年遭遇了非典（SARS）的重袭。

流感可通过咳嗽和打喷嚏传播，但越来越多的证据表明微小的病毒颗粒会残留在桌面、电话和其它物体的表面，然后通过手指向嘴、鼻子和眼部传播。

卫生专家警告称，没有什么好的办法可预防流感传播，但掌握一些预防常识可帮助人们自我保护，其中第一大措施就是洗手。

8.墨西哥生活回正轨警惕不减

Mexico bounces back to life after swine flu

[ 2009-05-08 13:50 ]

墨西哥流感疫情近日有所缓解，之前实行公共活动禁令的学校、酒吧、影院等公共场所于本周四重新开放。但是卫生部门官员表示，现在还不是欢呼胜利的时候，疫情还需进一步控制。到目前为止，墨西哥已有1160人感染流感病毒，其中44人死亡。墨西哥境外感染流感病毒死亡的有2人，且均在美国；全世界有23个国家的2099人感染该病毒。世界卫生组织官员发出警告，表示此次甲型H1N1病毒有可能会在今年下半年随着北半球流感季节的到来而更加肆虐。Mexico's schools, bars and cinemas reopened under strict health controls Thursday after the swine flu crisis eased, but world health chiefs warned they had still to get a handle on the epidemic.

High schools and universities reopened in Mexico, the day after offices and restaurants were cleared to restart business after a five-day enforced closure in a bid to contain the outbreak. "Fortunately, we've managed to stop the dangerous expansion the virus could have had," President Felipe Calderon said during a hospital visit.

However, he added, "it's not time to shout victory," warning there would be more cases. Hours later, Health Minister Jose Angel Cordova announced two more dead and 90 more cases, bringing the total to 44 dead among the 1,160 infected. But the number of cases was on the wane, having peaked last week, he added.

Only two other deaths have been recorded outside Mexico -- both in the United States.

But Keiji Fukuda, acting director-general of the UN's World Health Organisation, warned the A(H1N1) virus could become more virulent later in the year with the onset of the northern hemisphere's flu season.

"It is critical for countries to maintain their alertness and monitoring so this evolution can be followed as closely as possible," he said in a video conference in Bangkok.

"We don't believe we have fully got a handle on the severity of the phenomenon."

The latest WHO figures show 2,099 cases of influenza A(H1N1) infections have been reported by 23 countries.

"Complacency is the greatest danger," said Fukuda. "It does appear to be a period where the virus maybe seeding itself in various parts of the world.

"What we are seeing now is milder than in 1918 (when up to 50 million people died of the Spanish influenza pandemic). But 1918 started mild in springtime and became more severe in winter."

The emergence of the virus, a new strain that has combined human, swine and bird influenza, set off fears of a worldwide pandemic, even though the death toll has been relatively low. Countries have imposed a range of measures to prevent a global outbreak, especially hitting the tourism and travel industries.

Restrictions have also been placed on meat imports, not only in Mexico but also Canada and the United States.

Scientists meanwhile stressed the importance of preventing the new swine flu virus from infecting patients already sick with the deadly H5N1 avian flu, particularly in Asia.

"If both viruses wind up in the same individual, they could mix genes and mutate into a form that is both very pathogenic and easily transmitted among humans," John Oxford, a virologist at London Queen Mary's School of Medicine and Dentistry, told AFP.

Pierre Duplessis, Special Envoy for pandemic influenza at the International Federation of

Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, agreed.

"The danger of a genetic recombination is real, in animals and in humans -- this is something we fear," he said.

9.流感入侵墨西哥人过上虚拟生活

It's a virtual life for flu-bound Mexicans

[ 2009-05-05 15:23 ]

Churchgoers celebrate Mass via television. Congressional candidates campaign with real-time speeches on the Web. A magazine promises Internet tours through the real Mexico - the one with open museums and pyramids. And rock bands plan online concerts.

The H1N1 epidemic is creating a virtual Mexico.

With school canceled nationwide and many parents forbidding their kids to party, teenagers are logging a lot more time chatting on Facebook, Twittering and downloading music and movies from the Internet. So are many adults, especially after most business and government offices in Mexico City shut down on Friday for five days.

Two rock bands are making a go at reaching shut-in fans, announcing a virtual concert for today. Los Estramboticos, a Mexico City group, and Pastilla, a Latino band from the United States, will perform in a studio and broadcast it online. At least they can get exposure while Mexico's ban on concerts lasts.

But boredom was still not enough to lure many Mexican City residents from their homes on Sunday, 10 days into a flu outbreak that killed at least 22 people and sickened more than 560 in the country, most of them in the capital region.

Normally packed churches were all but empty. Priests in surgical masks offered Mass before a handful of faithful - also wearing masks. Cardinal Norberto Rivera held a televized service from the Metropolitan Cathedral for those staying home.

Sunday also marked the official start of campaigning for the July 5 congressional elections - but the government urged candidates not to hold rallies where the virus could spread. So candidates turned to the Internet to reach a population afraid to join screaming crowds, shake hands or hold out babies for kisses.

经常去教堂做礼拜的人现在跟着电视做弥撒，议会候选人通过网络发表实时演讲来竞选，一家杂志许诺通过以开放博物馆和金字塔而著称的the real Mexico网站推出墨西哥网络游，摇滚乐队也在策划网络演唱会。

甲型H1N1流感正将墨西哥变为一个虚拟国度。

由于全国学校停课，很多家长不允许孩子参加派对，所以青少年们将更多的时间用在了上Facebook 聊天、写Twitter以及从网上下载音乐和电影等网络活动上。很多成年人也用这样的方式来打发时光，尤其是上周五墨西哥城多数商家和政府部门开始五天的停业和停止办公之后。

两个摇滚乐队则试图博得宅在家中的粉丝们的青睐，他们宣布将于今天举办一场网络演唱会。墨西哥城的Los Estramboticos乐队和美国的Pastilla拉丁乐队将在演播室中进行演唱，并通过网络播出。至少在墨西哥禁止举办音乐会的这段时间，他们还能露面。

虽然呆在家里很无聊，但这还不足以让很多墨西哥城的居民于上周日走出家门。截至当天，甲型流感已爆发10天，至少有22名墨西哥人因此丧生，560多人患病，大多数患者居住在首都地区。

平时拥挤的教堂空无一人。牧师们戴着口罩在几名同样戴着口罩的虔诚教徒前面做弥撒。诺伯特?里维拉主教在都会大教堂为呆在家中的教徒提供电视弥撒服务。

将于7月5日举行的议会选举的竞选活动也于上周日正式开始，但政府要求候选人不得举行集会，以防病毒传播。因此候选人们只有通过网络向人们做宣传，现在墨西哥人对拥挤的人群、握手或把孩子抱给别人亲吻都很害怕。

10.美国：创意口罩迎战流感恐慌

Designer flu masks put the personal touch on panic

[ 2009-05-04 14:36 ]

正当甲型H1N1流感疫情在全球蔓延之时，美国纽约一家名为DIGO的广告创意公司抓住商机，推出一系列颇具创意的口罩。这家公司共推出6款设计诙谐幽默的口罩，比如有的口罩上印着一支雪茄，戴上它就好像人在抽雪茄一样；有的印着红唇或一撇黑色的小胡子；有的印着一只猪鼻，鼻子外围有一个红色的圆圈加斜线，表示―禁止猪‖的意思。DIGO公司首席执行官兼创意总监表示，口罩也可以成为一种自我表达的方式。该公司计划首批生产2.5万个创意口罩，并于5月5日起在互联网上销售。

If a flu pandemic is coming, but you have to get out and about, there is now a creative way to express fear.

That seems to be the approach at DIGO, the New York ad agency behind a line of humorous designer masks that will allow people to stand out from the crowd as they attempt to fend off the swine flu virus.

"When we saw swine flu panic taking hold, we felt that re-envisioning the face mask, this icon of fear, into a canvas for more creative, playful sentiments was a way to say we have nothing to fear but fear itself," said Mark DiMassimo, DIGO's CEO and chief creative officer.

"Life goes on, enjoy yourself, express yourself. If you want to be careful, don't make that all that life is about," said DiMassimo, who envisions an initial run of 25,000 masks for $100 each along with a certificate authenticating them as part of the first printing.

A variation on the masks that may become ubiquitous on the streets of U.S. cities before the flu epidemic runs its course, the DIGO version comes in six whimsical styles, including DiMassimo's personal favorite, one that makes it appear the wearer is smoking a cigar through the mask.

Other masks have bright red lips, a pink pig snout with red circle and slash signifying no pigs, a black handlebar mustache, the words "It's not me, it's you" and its opposite, "It's not you, it's me."

"We're basically saying that something functional can also be a form of self-expression," said DiMassimo, who insists the masks, while humorous, will be medical grade.

The masks will be sold on DIGO's website before shifting to a special website. Ultimately, they might be available in stores at a lower price, DiMassimo said.

Medical experts advise people to wash their hands frequently, cover their coughs and sneezes and stay home if sick to avoid spreading the illness. They generally agree that face masks, especially the surgical masks now seen on the streets of Mexico, offer very little protection.

No matter for DIGO.

"Our belief is that brands are built and ideas are spread today person to person, much like the flu," DiMassimo joked.

In a nod to Mexico -- epicenter so far of a disease that could spread around the globe to become a pandemic -- DIGO plans to start selling the masks on the Mexican festival Cinco de Mayo (May 5).

Vocabulary:

Cinco de Mayo: 西班牙文―5月5日‖，1862年5月5日，4千名墨西哥战士在普埃布拉击败法国侵略军和8千名墨西哥叛军，因此这一天是墨西哥人庆祝抗法战争胜利的纪念日，象征着自由与独立。