VOA慢速英语:Researchers Develop Better, Cheaper, Faster Zika Test

A team of researchers say they have developed a new test for Zika virus.
一组研究人员表示他们已经找到测试寨卡病毒的新方法。

They say the test can provide results quickly and costs less than other testing methods.
他们说该方法可以快速得出测试结果，而且相比其他方法成本更低。

It can also be easily transported, giving health care workers a way to diagnose the virus almost anywhere in the world.
该方法运输方便，可以供世界各地的医疗卫生人员诊断病毒使用。

The Zika outbreak started about a year ago when health officials in Brazil began reporting cases of people being infected. Now, nearly 60 countries and territories have reported Zika cases.
一年前，巴西卫生官员报道称出现感染案例，寨卡病毒随之开始爆发。如今将近60个国家和地区已报道出现寨卡病毒感染案例。

Most of those infected are thought to have been bitten by mosquitoes.The insects can carry the Zika virus.Some countries also have reported cases that appear to have spread through sexual contact.
大部分感染者都是因为被蚊子叮咬而感染。昆虫可以携带寨卡病毒。还有一些国家的案例表明寨卡病毒可以通过性传播。

The World Health Organization says the world could face a severe public health crisis if the virus continues spreading.
世界卫生组织表示，如果寨卡病毒继续传播，全世界将会面临严重的公共健康危机。

The WHO says scientists agree that Zika is the cause of two serious conditions: the nervous system disorder Guillain-Barre syndrome and the birth defect microcephaly. Babies with the birth defect have an unusually small head.Children with severe microcephaly usually do not live long.
世卫组织表示，科学家们一致认为寨卡病毒是造成两种严重疾病的原因：神经系统扰乱症格林-巴利综合征和先天缺陷头小畸形。感染寨卡病毒的婴儿具有先天缺陷，头异常小。患有严重头小畸形症的儿童通常活不长。

The new test is the result of work by researchers at Harvard University in the United States.The researchers built upon earlier work on a method to test for Ebola virus.
最新的测试方法由美国哈佛大学的研究人员得出。研究人员基于对埃博拉病毒测试方法的研究，得出此方法。

James Collins is a synthetic biologist.He led the team that created a way to test body fluids for Zika virus. The test is designed for blood, urine and saliva.
James Collins是合成生物学家。他领导团队发现了测试新方法，通过测试体液来检测寨卡病毒。这种方法是用来测量血液，尿液和唾液的。

But why develop a new method in the first place?
但是为什么要研发新的测试方法呢？

The researchers explained their reasoning in a report in the journal Cell.In it they said that other test methods are limited.Most importantly, they say, these methods are not exact.
研究人员在《细胞》杂志中解释了原因。他们表示其他测试方法都有局限性。最重要的是，那些方法都不准确。

The other tests look for antibodies in body fluids.But these antibodies are similar to other viruses such as Dengue.The researchers add that the other methods can also be costly. And they require special equipment that is not available in some areas.
其他测试方法要寻找体液中的抗体。但是这些抗体和一些病毒类似，如登革热。研究人员补充道其他方法成本也很高。而且需要一些特殊仪器来进行测试，在设施有限的地区无法进行。

The new testing method uses paper cards about the size of a human hand.The cards contain freeze-dried biomolecular components.
新的方法使用手掌大小的试纸进行测试。试纸中含有经由冷冻干燥处理的生物分子成分。

The freeze-dried part is important.The report says the components “remain stable at room temperature, allowing for easy storage and distribution in global settings.”In other words, they do not break down under normal conditions and can be stored almost anywhere.
冷冻干燥这部分很重要。报告称这些成分“在室温下很稳定，容易在全球范围内进行储存和分配。”换句话说，正常情况下试纸不会损坏，几乎可以在任何地方储存。

Only small amounts of the Zika virus can be found in blood.So, the researchers first make the blood sample appear larger through a process that causes the virus to reproduce.The larger sample is then put on the paper card. If Zika is present, the card changes color.
在血液中只会发现很少数量的寨卡病毒。所以，研究人员首先会通过一个程序增加病毒的繁殖，使血液样本扩大。然后将扩大后的血液样本放置在试纸上。如果感染了寨卡病毒，试纸就会变色。

Test results from an infected person can then be compared to another card to identify which form of the Zika virus is present.
通过测试确定病人感染后，可以将试纸与另一试纸比对，以确定寨卡病毒的形式。

The new test can produce a result in as little as 30 minutes.An even faster result is possible, the researchers say, by placing the card in a special reader. The change in color can be easily recognized without special equipment.
新测试可以在30分钟内得出结果。研究人员表示如果将试纸放在专门的查看仪器上，能够更快的得出结果。没有特殊的仪器也能快速识别试纸颜色的变化。

The researchers add that this method costs less than other tests for Zika.
研究人员补充道，相比其他方法，这种寨卡病毒测试方法成本更小。

James Collins says that his team is currently looking for private and public money to make this test available to health workers around the world.
James Collins说其团队正在寻找私人或公众投资，以将测试方法传播至世界各地的卫生工作人员。

There is no vaccine for Zika.The World Health Organization says developers in the U.S. and four other countries are working on 23 different projects to develop one.WHO officials expect some of those projects to be ready for testing by the end of the year. However, a fully-tested vaccine may not be available for several years.
至今为止没有应对寨卡病毒的疫苗。世界卫生组织表示，美国及其他四国的研发人员启动了23个不同项目，致力于研发疫苗。世卫组织官员希望年底一些项目可以投入测试。然而，经由充分测试的疫苗可能还得花费几年时间研制。

Until a vaccine is developed, efforts to stop the spread of Zika are directed at controlling the insects that carry it.The WHO says half of the world’s population lives in areas where Zika-carrying mosquitoes live.
在疫苗研制成功前，阻止寨卡病毒传播主要通过控制携带病毒的昆虫。世卫组织表示世界一半人口生活的区域都有携带寨卡病毒蚊虫的存在。

I’m Anna Matteo.
Anna Matteo为您报道。