United Nations aid agencies report measles is continuing to spread at an alarming rate throughout drought-stricken Horn of Africa. Aid agencies are conducting vaccination campaigns in drought-affected countries to immunize millions of children against this killer disease and to try to contain its spread.
联合国援助机构称，受干旱侵袭的非洲之角地区的麻疹疫情继续以惊人的速度扩散。援助机构正在受旱灾影响的国家进行疫苗接种运动，给数百万儿童接种疫苗，以设法控制疫情蔓延。
More than 12 million people in Ethiopia, Kenya, Djibouti and Somalia are affected by the worst drought to hit the Horn of Africa in 60 years. Somalia, which is struggling with both drought and famine, is the most seriously affected. Somalia is also bearing the brunt of the measles epidemic, which is sweeping through the Horn of Africa.
埃塞俄比亚、肯尼亚、吉布提和索马里的1千200多万人正受到非洲之角60年来最严重的干旱影响。索马里是受影响最严重的国家，该国正艰难地应对干旱和饥荒。索马里还首当其冲地受到麻疹的影响，麻疹疫情正在非洲之角地区扩散。
In July alone, the World Health Organization reports more than 1,000 suspected measles cases and 31 related deaths occurred in South and Central Somalia. Since January, WHO says nearly 5,200 suspected measles cases were reported.
世界卫生组织报告，单是在7月份，索马里南部和中部就出现了1000多个疑似麻疹病例和31个相关的死亡病例。世卫组织说，自今年1月份以来，已报告了将近5200个疑似麻疹病例。
WHO spokesman Tarik Jasarevic says the number of cases this year is several times higher than during the same period over the last two years.
世卫组织发言人贾萨瑞维奇(Tarik Jasarevic)说，今年的病例数量比前两年同期高出数倍。
"The major factors for a measles outbreak in Somalia are low coverage, malnutrition, population movements, and overcrowded internally displaced camps," he said. "WHO fears that the measles outbreak could affect a high number of people, especially among the vulnerable IDPs [Internally Displaced Persons] whose overall health is already fragile. Measles can be prevented by vaccination. The routine immunization coverage against measles in Somalia is only 29 percent."
他说：“索马里爆发麻疹的主要原因是疫苗覆盖率低、营养不良、人口迁移以及难民营过度拥挤。世卫组织担心此次麻疹爆发可能会对很多人造成影响，尤其是难民， 他们的总体健康状况已很脆弱。麻疹可以通过疫苗来预防。索马里常规的麻疹疫苗覆盖率仅为29%。”
As a response to the measles outbreak, WHO, the U.N. Children’s Fund and partners have started an emergency vaccination campaign in all accessible areas of South and Central Somalia, which is under the control of the Islamist al-Shabab militants.
作为对这次麻疹爆发的回应，世界卫生组织、联合国儿童基金会及其合作伙伴已在索马里南部和中部的准入地区展开了紧急的疫苗接种运动，索马里南部和中部地区被伊斯兰武装组织青年党控制。
UNICEF spokeswoman Marixie Mercado says lack of access is a great cause of concern because it prevents aid agencies from reaching all children with the life-saving vaccines.
联合国儿童基金会女发言人梅尔卡多对美国之音说，一个很大的担忧是缺乏准入，因为这导致援助机构无法给所有的儿童接种救命的疫苗。
"Some of the new measles cases are from districts called Hiran and Lower Shibelle," she said. "In these areas, the measles coverage has been historically low, even below what is already a low national coverage because access has been so difficult. What I heard from my colleague in the field today was that we were denied access as recently as two days ago to these areas, but we keep trying. And, that is essentially how we are doing it. We are immunizing as we can."
梅尔卡多说：“一些新的麻疹病例是来自希兰和下谢贝利地区。这些地区的麻疹疫苗覆盖率处于历史最低水平，甚至低于已经很低的全国平均水平，因为进入这些地区非常困难。我今天听我当地的同事说，就在两天前我们不能获准进入这些地区，但我们一直在试着进入。这正是我们正在做的。我们竭尽所能地给人们接种疫苗。”
Mercado says UNICEF has dispatched 700,000 doses of measles vaccines to Mogadishu, for the campaign starting Friday. She says hundreds of thousands of children already have been immunized in IDP areas of Mogadishu and in Gedo. She says the overall target is to immunize 2.5 million children between six months and 15 years old.
梅尔卡多表示，为了星期五展开的疫苗接种运动，联合国儿童基金会已经调度了70万剂麻疹疫苗到索马里首都摩加迪沙。她说，摩加迪沙难民区和盖多地区的数十万儿童已接种了疫苗。她还说，总目标是要给6个月至15岁的250万儿童接种疫苗。
（责任编辑:实习飞刀）
