第2052期:Millions Infected with Dengue as Temperature Rises

The disease dengue is spreading across the Western Hemisphere in numbers not seen since record-keeping began in 1980. Experts are warning that rising temperatures and growing cities are increasing the rate of infection. 登革热正在西半球蔓延，其数量是自 1980 年有记录以来从未有过的。专家警告说，气温上升和城市扩张正在增加感染率。 More than 4 million cases have been reported throughout the Americas and the Caribbean so far this year, breaking a record set in 2019. Officials from the Bahamas to Brazil are warning of crowded health centers and new infections daily. Reports say there have been more than 2,000 deaths across the wide area. 今年迄今为止，美洲和加勒比地区已报告超过 400 万例病例，打破了 2019 年创下的纪录。从巴哈马到巴西，官员们都在警告卫生中心拥挤和每天新增感染病例。 报道称，该地区已有2000多人死亡。 Thais dos Santos is with the Pan American Health Organization, the area office of the World Health Organization (WHO) in the Americas. She said diseases like dengue, “provide us a really good sentinel of what is happening with climate change." Thais dos Santos 在泛美卫生组织工作，该组织是世界卫生组织 (WHO) 美洲地区办事处。 她说，像登革热这样的疾病“为我们提供了一个很好的哨兵，让我们了解气候变化正在发生的情况。” A lack of good sanitation and strong health systems have added to the rise in cases. But experts say droughts and floods linked to climate change are causing greater spread of the virus. That is because stored water and heavy rains appeal to mosquitoes. 缺乏良好的卫生设施和强大的卫生系统加剧了病例的增加。 但专家表示，与气候变化有关的干旱和洪水正在导致病毒更广泛的传播。 这是因为积水和大雨会吸引蚊子。 Dr. Gabriela Paz-Bailey is chief of the dengue branch for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Puerto Rico. She noted that higher temperatures also are expanding the mosquito's habitat and helping the virus develop faster inside the mosquito. That leads to higher viral loads and a higher chance of transmission. 加布里埃拉·帕斯·贝利 (Gabriela Paz-Bailey) 博士是美国疾病控制与预防中心波多黎各登革热分部的负责人。 她指出，较高的温度也扩大了蚊子的栖息地，并帮助病毒在蚊子体内更快地生长。 这会导致更高的病毒载量和更高的传播机会。 This year’s Northern Hemisphere summer was the hottest ever, with August about 1.5 degrees Celsius warmer than pre-industrial period averages. And Copernicus, the European climate service, reported that 2023 is the second hottest year on record. 今年北半球的夏季是有史以来最热的，八月比工业化前时期的平均温度高约1.5摄氏度。 欧洲气候服务机构哥白尼报告称，2023 年是有记录以来第二热的一年。 Worldwide, more than 4.5 million cases of dengue had been reported as of early November. There have been more than 4,000 deaths reported in 80 countries. 截至 11 月初，全球报告了超过 450 万例登革热病例。 80 个国家报告了 4,000 多人死亡。 Countries like Bangladesh are seeing a record number of cases and deaths. The government in the South Asian country has reported more than 313,700 cases and more than 1,600 deaths. Most of the deaths happened within three days of hospitalization.孟加拉国等国家的病例和死亡人数创下历史新高。 这个南亚国家政府报告了超过 313,700 例病例和 1,600 多人死亡。 大多数死亡发生在住院三天内。 The mosquito that carries dengue also has been identified in 22 European countries, with local spread of the disease seen in France, Italy and Spain. In August, the central African country of Chad reported its first dengue outbreak in history. 22 个欧洲国家也发现了携带登革热的蚊子，法国、意大利和西班牙也出现了该疾病的局部传播。 8月，中非国家乍得报告了历史上首次爆发登革热疫情。Dengue affects some 129 countries, with roughly half the world’s population at risk, says the WHO. Infected female mosquitoes pass the virus when they feed on animals. The sickness can cause severe headaches, fever, vomiting, rash and other signs. While most infected people do not get symptoms, severe cases can lead to plasma leakage and death. 世界卫生组织表示，登革热影响约 129 个国家，世界上大约一半的人口面临风险。 受感染的雌性蚊子在捕食动物时会传播病毒。 这种疾病会导致严重头痛、发烧、呕吐、皮疹和其他症状。 虽然大多数感染者不会出现症状，但严重的情况下可能会导致血浆泄漏和死亡。 What is worse, experts say, repeated infections means a higher risk of developing severe dengue. 专家表示，更糟糕的是，反复感染意味着患严重登革热的风险更高。 The Caribbean also is battling an increase in cases. The area had reported a 15 percent increase in confirmed cases by early October compared with the same period last year, says the Caribbean Public Health Agency. 加勒比地区也正在与病例增加作斗争。 加勒比公共卫生局表示，截至 10 月初，该地区确诊病例与去年同期相比增加了 15%。 Officials on the French Caribbean islands of Guadeloupe and Martinique declared an epidemic in August that is still ongoing. Martinique is reporting an average of 800 cases a week on the island of some 394,000 people. 法属加勒比海岛屿瓜德罗普岛和马提尼克岛的官员于八月宣布疫情仍在持续。 马提尼克岛约有 394,000 人，平均每周报告 800 例病例。Meanwhile, Jamaica and the Bahamas declared an outbreak in September followed by Barbados in October. 与此同时，牙买加和巴哈马于 9 月宣布疫情爆发，巴巴多斯于 10 月宣布疫情爆发。 Poor countries struggle the most with dengue. Bad sanitation creates a good reproduction environment for infected mosquitoes. Poor housing conditions leave people at greater risk of exposure to mosquitoes. Dengue outbreaks can crush already poor and overworked health systems. 贫穷国家与登革热的斗争最为严重。 不良的卫生条件为受感染的蚊子创造了良好的繁殖环境。 恶劣的住房条件使人们面临更大的接触蚊子的风险。 登革热疫情可能会摧毁本已贫困且过度劳累的卫生系统。 Jeremy Farra is chief scientist for the WHO. He said dengue is very difficult to treat partly because patients often delay in seeking medical care. The virus can progress so quickly, he said. Treating those with the disease requires very close patient supervision and a lot of time. 杰里米·法拉是世界卫生组织的首席科学家。 他说，登革热很难治疗，部分原因是患者常常延迟就医。 他说，这种病毒的传播速度非常快。 治疗这种疾病需要非常密切的患者监督和大量时间。 Farra said, “Imagine that you have a thousand people like that requiring all that delicate clinical care. It can very quickly overwhelm a system.” 法拉说：“想象一下，有一千个这样的人需要所有细致的临床护理。 它很快就会淹没一个系统。”