第2206期:UN Authorizes Second Shot to Fight Dengue in Americas

The World Health Organization recently authorized a second dengue vaccine. The move could provide protection for millions of people worldwide against the mosquito-borne disease. 世界卫生组织最近批准了第二种登革热疫苗。此举可以为全世界数百万人提供保护，使其免受蚊媒疾病的侵害。 This year, several dengue outbreaks have happened in places across the Americas. 今年，美洲各地爆发了多起登革热疫情。 In a statement on May 15, the U.N. health agency said it approved the dengue vaccine made by the Japanese drugmaker Takeda. 联合国卫生机构在5月15日的一份声明中表示，批准了日本制药商武田公司生产的登革热疫苗。 Takeda’s dengue vaccine is known as Qdenga. It was previously approved by the European Medicines Agency in 2022. The two-dose vaccine is given three months apart. It protects against the four kinds of dengue. The WHO recommends its use in children between the ages of 6 and 16 who live in areas with high rates of dengue. 武田的登革热疫苗被称为 Qdenga。此前该疫苗已于 2022 年获得欧洲药品管理局批准。两剂疫苗间隔三个月接种。它可以预防四种登革热。世界卫生组织建议居住在登革热高发地区的 6 至 16 岁儿童使用该药物。 Approval by the WHO now means that donors and other U.N. agencies can purchase the vaccine for poorer countries. 世界卫生组织的批准现在意味着捐助者和其他联合国机构可以为较贫穷的国家购买疫苗。 Studies have shown Takeda’s vaccine is about 84 percent effective in preventing people from being hospitalized and about 61 percent effective in stopping symptoms. 研究表明，武田的疫苗在预防人们住院方面的有效性约为 84%，在阻止症状方面的有效性约为 61%。 WHO’s Rogerio Gaspar is director for the agency’s approvals of medicines and vaccines. He said it was “an important step in the expansion of global access to dengue vaccines.” 世卫组织的罗杰里奥·加斯帕 (Rogerio Gaspar) 是该机构药品和疫苗审批主管。他表示，这是“扩大全球登革热疫苗获取范围的重要一步”。The first dengue vaccine that the WHO approved was made by the drugmaker Sanofi Pasteur. The vaccine was later found to increase the risk of severe dengue in people who had not been infected with the disease before. 世界卫生组织批准的第一种登革热疫苗是由制药商赛诺菲巴斯德生产的。后来发现该疫苗会增加以前未感染过这种疾病的人患严重登革热的风险。 There is no exact treatment for dengue. It is a leading cause of serious illness and death in about 120 Latin American and Asian countries. About 80 percent of infections are mild. But severe cases of dengue can lead to internal bleeding, organ failure, and death. 登革热没有确切的治疗方法。它是大约 120 个拉丁美洲和亚洲国家严重疾病和死亡的主要原因。大约 80% 的感染是轻微的。但严重的登革热病例会导致内出血、器官衰竭和死亡。 Last week, the WHO reported there were 6.7 million suspected cases of dengue in the Americas. That is an increase of 206 percent compared with the same period last year. In March of this year, officials in Rio de Janeiro declared a public health emergency over its dengue epidemic. Brazilian health officials began giving out the Takeda vaccine with the goal of protecting at least 3 million people. 上周，世界卫生组织报告美洲有 670 万疑似登革热病例。与去年同期相比增长了 206%。今年3月，里约热内卢官员宣布登革热疫情进入公共卫生紧急状态。巴西卫生官员开始分发武田疫苗，目标是保护至少 300 万人。 Infectious disease experts say climate change and the increased range of mosquitoes that carry dengue are partly to blame for the spread of the disease. 传染病专家表示，气候变化和携带登革热的蚊子数量的增加是造成这种疾病传播的部分原因。