VOA常速英语:美国卫生部规劝父母为孩子注射麻疹疫苗

Measles was eliminated in the US 19 years ago. The only cases now are those that are imported from other countries. That’s happening in the US with greater frequency. Measles is incredibly contagious. Once it gets around the community, it’s very difficult because it’s airborne. Eighteen states allow parents to not vaccinate their children if they have moral, personal or philosophical objections to it. A measles outbreak in Washington State has health officials scrambling to contain it.

I hope I’m wrong, but I think the cases are going to get more frequent, and spread throughout the country from this epicenter. Rural areas in the US tend to have higher numbers of unvaccinated children, but there are significant numbers in cities such as Houston, Austin and Seattle, where immunization rates are low. Houston just reported two cases of measles in children under the age of two. Doctors including the US Surgeon General are urging parents to get their children vaccinated. As the United States Surgeon General, I want everyone to know that the best protection against measles is getting vaccinated. The vaccine is almost 100 percent effective. Doctors recommend that children get two doses of the vaccine. One dose of vaccine, about 95 percent of children will become protected against measles.
The reason that we give a second dose is because about 5 percent of children do not respond to the first dose, so with two doses, over 99 percent of children are protected against measles. Measles makes people very sick. It’s especially dangerous for children. One-third of those cases will end up hospitalized, and that may be due to a variety of complications. Complications such as pneumonia or encephalitis, a swelling of the brain, can be deadly or lead to permanent disability. That’s why doctors urge parents to get their children vaccinated.
Carol Pearson VOA News,s Washington.