VOA慢速英语:WHO Has Declared Peshawar the World's "Largest Reservoir" of Endemic Polio Virus

The World Health Organization has declared the Pakistani city of Peshawar the world's "largest reservoir" of endemic polio virus. And WHO officials fear Pakistanis could face travel restrictions unless steps of taking immediately to stop the disease from spreading.
世界卫生组织已经宣布巴基斯坦城市白沙瓦是全球最大的脊髓灰质炎病毒来源地。世界卫生组织官员担心巴基斯坦人可能会面临旅行限制，除非立即采取步骤阻止该疾病的蔓延。

Researchers studied all the cases of poliomyelitis in Pakistan last year. The researchers found that almost every case could be linked genetically to the polio virus often reported in Peshawar.
研究人员研究了巴基斯坦去年所有的小儿麻痹症病例。研究人员发现，几乎每一个病例都和白沙瓦经常报道的脊髓灰质炎病毒在基因上有关。

They added that all test samples collected from different parts of the city have shown the presence of the highly infections virus. Polio mainly affects children under 5 years of age.
他们补充说，从该市不同地区收集的检测样本都表现出高度感染病毒的存在。脊灰主要影响5岁以下的儿童。

The virus is passed through food or water. The virus reproduces in the body and later invades the nerve system. The disease can sometimes lead to paralysis with loss of muscle control in part of the body.
该病毒通过食物和水传播。病毒在体内繁殖后侵入神经系统。这种疾病有时会导致身体部分肌肉失去控制而瘫痪。

The WHO study found that 90 percent of Pakistan's Polio cases could be linked to the virus in Peshawar. In addition, 12 of the 13 polio cases in Afghanistan were also linked to the city.
世界卫生组织研究发现，90%的巴基斯坦脊髓灰质炎病例都和白沙瓦的病毒有联系。此外，阿富汗的13例脊髓灰质炎病例中的12例也和该市有关。

Elias Durry serves as the WHO's emergency coordinator for polio in Pakistan. He says local officials need to take urgent action to strengthen vaccination campaigns. He says the situation in Peshawar not only threatens the gains Pakistan has made against Polio, but could also harm international efforts to stop the disease.
Elias Durry是世界卫生组织驻巴基斯坦的脊髓灰质炎紧急协调员。他说，地方官员需要采取紧急行动，加强疫苗接种运动。他说，白沙瓦的情况不仅威胁到巴基斯坦在小儿麻痹症取得的成果，也可能损害国际社会消除该疾病的努力。

"Unless the polio eradication program in Pakistan is able to curtail the transmission in Peshawar, the expansion of the viruses to other places will not stop. So, it is critical that Peshawar, the way it is behaving now, really be able to find ways of interrupting these transmissions that have been consistent throughout the years," said Durry.
Durry说，“除非巴基斯坦的脊髓灰质炎根除计划能够限制住该病毒在白沙瓦的传播，否则该病毒向其它地区的扩张就不会停止。所以，白沙瓦的现行措施确实能够找到办法中断多年来连续的病毒传播就很关键。”

He also noted an increase in deadly attacks on vaccination campaign workers in and around Peshawar and in other areas.
他还指出，白沙瓦内外及其它地区针对疫苗接种工作人员的致命袭击有所增加。

Taliban militants often attack polio workers in Pakistan. The militants accuse them of being American spies or part of a plot to keep Muslims from having babies. Most of the attacks have taken place in Peshawar because the city is close to the country's tribal districts. Extremist groups have bases in those areas.
塔利班武装分子经常袭击巴基斯坦的脊髓灰质炎疫苗接种工作人员。武装分子指责他们是美国间谍，或阻止穆斯林怀孕的阴谋的一部分。大部分袭击都发生在白沙瓦，因为这个市靠近该国的部落地区。极端组织在这些地区有基地。

Elias Durry did not reject the possibility of other countries ordering travel and visa restrictions on Pakistan if there is no quick improvement in the situation.
Elias Durry并不否认，如果这种情况没有立即改善，其他国家可能对巴基斯坦采取旅行或签证限制。

In neighboring India, no polio cases have been reported for the past 3 years. Starting this month, all visitors to India from Pakistan are required to show a record of their polio vaccination.
过去三年，邻国印度都未报告脊髓灰质炎病例。从这个月开始，所有从巴基斯坦到印度的游客都必须出示自己的脊髓灰质炎疫苗接种记录。