Some Western countries have lowervaccinationrates than poor parts of Africa. Anti-vaxxers are not the mainculprits.
【NOTES】
Jab:
①皮下注射（尤指接种疫苗）an anti-tetanus jab打破伤风针。
②刺痛的感觉或感情a jab of envy嫉妒引起的刺痛
Vaccination:n.接种疫苗
Vaccine: n.疫苗；杀毒软件
Vaccinate: vt.接种疫苗
Culprit:
②a person who is responsible for a crime or other misdeed.罪犯，犯人。
②the cause of a problem or defect.导致问题的原因
Eg: low level ozone pollution is the real culprit.低层臭氧污染是真正原因。
ERADICATINGa disease is the sort of aim that rich countries come up with, and poor ones struggle to reach. But for some diseases, the pattern is reversed. These are theailmentsfor which vaccinations exist. Many poor countries run highly effective vaccination programmes. But as memories of the toll from infectious diseases fades across the rich world, in some places they are making a comeback.
【NOTES】
Eradicate:v.根除，消灭。
Eg: this disease has been eradicated from the world.这种疾病已经在全世界消失了。
Ailment:n. an illness, typically a minor one.小病，微恙
The World Health Organisation (WHO) reckons that vaccines save 2.5m lives a year.Smallpoxwas eradicated in 1980 with the help of a vaccine;polioshould soon follow. In both cases, rich countries led the way. The new pattern looks very different.
【NOTES】
Smallpox:天花。（亦称variola）
Polio:（poliomyelitis的简称。）小儿麻痹症，脊髓灰质炎
The trend is most evident formeasles, which is highlycontagious. At least 95% of people must be vaccinated to stop its spread (a threshold known as “herd immunity”). Although usually mild, it can lead topneumoniaand cause brain damage or blindness. The countries with the lowest vaccination rates are all very poor, but many developing countries run excellent programmes (see chart).Eritrea, Rwanda and Sri Lankamanage to vaccinate nearly everyone. By contrast several rich countries, including America, Britain, France and Italy, are below herd immunity.
【NOTES】
Measles：[u].麻疹
Contagious:
②（疾病）接触传染的
②（人）可能带有人际传染疾病的
③（情绪，感觉，看法）有感染力的
Eg: her enthusiasm is contagious.她的热情富有感染力。
herd immunity：群体免疫
pneumonia:[u].肺炎
Eritrea:厄立特里亚（位于非洲东北部，西邻苏丹共和国，南邻埃塞俄比亚、吉布提，东隔红海与沙特阿拉伯和也门相望，扼红海进出印度洋的门户，地理位置十分重要。）
Rwanda:卢旺达（非洲中东部的一个国家，全称卢旺达共和国，位于非洲中东部赤道南侧，内陆国家。）
Sri Lanka:斯里兰卡(全称斯里兰卡民主社会主义共和国(The Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka)，旧称锡兰，是个热带岛国，位于印度洋海上，英联邦成员国之一。)
Last year Europe missed the deadline it had set itself in 2010 to eradicate measles, and had almost 4,000 cases. America was declared measles-free in 2000; in 2014 it had hundreds of cases across 27 states and last year saw its first death from the disease in more than a decade. The trends for other vaccine-preventable diseases, such asrubella, which can causecongenitaldisabilities if a pregnant woman catches it, are alarming, too.
【NOTES】
Rubella: (German measles)风疹（传染性病毒疾病，症状似轻度麻疹）
Congenital:
①（尤指疾病、身体畸形）先天的
a congenital malformation of the heart.先天性心脏畸形
This sorry state of affairs is often blamed onhardline“anti-vaxxers”, parents who refuse all vaccines for their children. They are amotleylot. The Amish in Americaspurnmodern medicine, along with almost everything else invented since the 17th century. Somevegansobject to the use of animal-derived products in vaccines’ manufacture. The Protestant Dutch Reformed Church thinks vaccines thwart divine will.Anthroposophy, founded in the 19th century by Rudolf Steiner, an Austrianmystic-cum-philosopher,preaches that diseases strengthen children’s physical and mental development.
【NOTES】
Hardline：强硬路线
Motley:
①（外观，特征）混杂的，杂乱的
Eg: a motley crew of discontents and zealots.一群三教九流的不满现实者和狂热分子。
②混杂物
A motley of interacting interest groups.一群杂乱的互相影响的利益集团。
Lot：n.
①一群，一类，一批 one lot of rich people一群富人
②特定种类的人（通常用于否定场合）
An inefficient lot, our Council.我们议会这群效率低下的家伙。
③抽签
Officers were elected rather than selected by lot.官员们是通过选举而不是抽签选上的。
④命运
Improve the lot of the disadvantaged.改善弱势人群的命运。
⑤停车场 parking lot
⑥外景场地
【IDIOMS】
①All over the lot混乱地，无条理地
②Fall to someone’s lot命定应由某人
③Throw in one’s lot with与他人同甘共苦
Spurn：v.轻蔑地拒绝；唾弃
Vegan：素食主义者
Anthroposophy：人智学
mystic-cum-philosopher神秘主义者兼哲学家
preach：布道，鼓吹
In most countries suchrefuseniksare only 2-3% of parents. But because they tend to live in clusters, they can be the source of outbreaks. A bigger problem, though, is the growing number of parents who delay vaccination, or pick and choose jabs. Studies from America, Australia and Europe suggest that about a quarter of parents fall into this group, generally because they think that the standard vaccination schedule, which protects against around a dozen diseases, “overloads” children’s immune systems, or that particular vaccines are unsafe. Some believe vaccines interfere with “natural immunity”. Many were shaken by a claim, laterdebunked, that there was a link between autism and theMMR vaccine, which protects against measles,mumpsand rubella.
【NOTES】
refuseniks：反疫苗者
debunk：指出，拆穿
autism：孤独症；臆想（精神分裂的症状之一）
MMR vaccine：麻腮风三联疫苗（MMR疫苗(Measles, mumps and rubellavaccine)是指麻疹、腮腺炎和风疹的联合疫苗。）
Mumps：腮腺炎
In America, some poor childrenmiss outon vaccines despite a federal programme to provide the jabs free, since they have no regular relationship with a family doctor. Some outbreaks in eastern Europe have started in communities of Roma (gypsies). Members of this poor andostracisedminority are shunned by health workers and often go unvaccinated.
【NOTES】
miss out：
①to lose an opportunity to do or have something.
②To fail to include someone or something, usually by accident.
Gypsy (gipsy)吉卜赛人（指倒出流动的吉卜赛民族人，皮肤和头发黝黑，传统上以做季节工、流动商及算命为生，现多数居于欧洲、北非部分地区和北美，但被认为原居于印度次大陆）；流浪者；心灵自由者。
Ostracize(-ise)放逐，流放；（古希腊）陶片放逐制度（公民投票决定把不受欢迎或权力过大的人逐出城市5年或10年）
Several governments are trying to raise vaccination rates by making life harder for parents who do not vaccinate their children. A measles outbreak last year that started with an unvaccinated child visiting Disneyland and spread from there to seven states prompted California to make a full vaccination record a condition of entry to state schools. The previous year, in a quarter of schools too few children had been vaccinated against measles toconferherd immunity. A dozen other states are considering similar bills. After atoddlerdied from measles last year, Germany recently started toobligeparents who do not wish their children to be vaccinated to discuss the decision with a doctor before they can enroll a child in nursery. Australia’s new “no jabs, no pay” law withdraws child benefits from parents who do not vaccinate, unless they have sound medical reasons.
【NOTES】
Confer：
①授予（头衔，学位，利益，权利）
Conferan honorary degreeonher.授予她荣誉学位。
②商议，协商，讨论，交流意见
The officials were conferring with allies.官员们正在和盟国协商。
Toddler：学步儿童
Oblige：v.
①（根据法律或道义）强使某人做某事
Eg: doctors are obliged by law to keep patients alive while there is a chance of recovery.医生受法律约束，在病人尚有一线康复希望的情况下必须让病人活着。
②（按某人的请求）照办；做…（以满足某人的愿望）
Eg: oblige me by not being sorry for yourself.请你帮个忙，不要自怨自怜了。
Eg: tell me what you want to know and I’ll see if I can oblige.告诉我你想知道什么，看看我能否满足你的愿望。
③感激
Eg: if you can give me a few minutes of your time I’ll be much obliged.如果我能占用您几分钟时间，我将不胜感激。
④使某人遵守誓约
Persuasion, afine art
There is, however, surprisingly little evidence that tough laws make a big difference to vaccination rates. European countries that are similar in most respects (such as the Nordics) may have similar rates for jabs that aremandatoryin one country but not in another—or very different rates despite having the same rules. Rates in some American states where parents can easilyopt outare as high as in West Virginia and Mississippi, which have long allowed only medicalexemptions.
【NOTES】
fine art
①（创造性）艺术（尤指视觉艺术）
②高级能（或要求精深造诣的）活动
Eg: the fine art drinking tequila品尝墨西哥龙舌兰的精深技艺
[IDIOM] have/get something down to a fine art.凭经验把…做得尽善尽美
Mandatory：法律规定的，强制的；命令性的
opt out：决定不参与
opt-outs from key parts of the treaty.决定不参与条约关键部分
exemption:n.免除，豁免
exemption from prescription charges.药费的免除
And strict rules may even harden anti-vaccination attitudes. Australia had previously made exemption conditional on speaking to a doctor or nurse about the benefits of vaccines. The new rules mean fewer chances to change parents’ minds. Research suggests that making it harder to avoid the most important vaccines may make it more likely that people who strongly oppose vaccination in general shun optional ones, says Cornelia Betsch of the University of Erfurt.
More important, say public-health experts, is to boost confidence in the safety of vaccines and trust in the authorities that recommend them—both badly damaged in many European countries bypastpublic-health mis-steps, such as a scandal withcontaminatedblood supply in France from the late 1990s. The best way to handle a vaccine scare is to express empathy and promptly share the results from investigations ofallegedadversereactions, says Heidi Larson of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. British authorities’ dismissive response to the MMR scare failed toreassureworried parents.
【NOTES】
pastpublic-health mis-steps：公共卫生的过失政策
contaminate：使不纯；污染；弄脏；毒害
alleged：（事情或人无证据而）被指控的
the alleged conspitators.被控的同谋者。
Allege:（尤指无证据地）声称，断言（某人做非法事情或坏事）
He alleged that he had been assaulted.他声称自己被殴。
adverse：阻碍成功的，有害的，不利的（harmful, unfavorable）
eg: taxes are having an adverse effect on production.
Reassure:安慰，使放心，使消除疑虑
Eg: he understood her feelings and tried to reassure her.
Eg: Joachim reassured him that he was needed.
Eg: Gina gave her a reassuring smile.缉拿对她笑了笑以示鼓励。
One promising new approach is to keep track of the vaccine myths circulating in cyberspace andrebuteach one as it appears. This requires tracking information from search engines and following anti-vaccination websites and parents’ forums. On one such forum, worriers say they havescouredgovernment and vaccine-manufacturer websites but feel overwhelmed by information that they regard as inconclusive or contradictory. One mother seeks advice on how to get around California’s “fascist” new rule. Anothercasts doubton a study on severe allergic reactions to vaccines: 33 cases from 25m jabs, she says, seems “fishilylow”.
【NOTES】
Rebut：v.(rebutted, rebutting)
①反驳，驳回；驳斥（证据，指控）
Eg: he had to rebut charged of acting for the convenience of his political friends.对于指控他为政界朋友谋取便利，他只好予以反驳。
Scour：仔细搜索，浏览
David scoured each newspaper for an article on the murder.
casts doubt on:把（怀疑，轻视）加诸
eg: journalists cast doubts on the government’s version of events.新闻记者质疑政府对该事件的解释。
[cast spell on]使（魔咒）生效，施法
Eg: the witch cast a spell on her to turn her into a beast.
Eg: the city cast a spell on the visitor.这座城市把游客迷住了
Some countries are starting information campaigns that treat such concerns with respect. A parents’ organisation inBulgarialaunched one recently, under theauspicesof the ministry of health and the national association ofpaediatricians. Its website isjargon-freeand easier to navigate thanunwieldyofficialhubs. France is launching a national dialogue on vaccines this spring, with a website where citizens canswapgripes, worries and advice.
【NOTES】
Bulgaria：保加利亚共和国（简称“保加利亚”。欧洲东南部巴尔干半岛东南部的一个国家）
under the auspices of：在….的帮助（支持、保护）下
paediatrician (pediatrician)儿科医生
jargon-free语言通俗
jargon:行话，专业术语
unwieldy：不灵便的；（制度、机构）过于庞大运作不便的
hub：（活动）中心
swap：交换
gripe：抱怨，牢骚
Although vaccine-hesitant parents often search for answers on the internet, their most trusted sources are doctors and nurses. The WHO recently developed guidelines to help health workers figure out, through a questionnaire, which type of worrier a parent is—and how toalleviatespecific concerns. But recent research from several European countries shows that many doctors and nurses are also hesitant about vaccines, for much the same reasons as their patients. In a survey conducted in 2014, 16-43% of French family doctors said they never or only sometimes recommended some of the standard vaccines.
An additional problem is that many adults were not immunised as children and have not caught up since. In the 1970s and 1980s, when the measles vaccine was new, many children did not receive it, or got just one shot, which is now known not to be reliable in conferring immunity. Some countries offer free catch-up jabs to some adults when outbreaksflareup—usually parents with small children and health workers in affected areas.
But such efforts have, on the whole, been too little, too late. The return of easily preventable diseases that had all but disappeared is a shame. A bigger shame would be for governments to continue blaming it all on ignorant parents.
【NOTES】
alleviate减轻，缓和
flareup：lose one’s temper
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