The security lines at JFK and LAX can be horrendous. But these airports have something in common worse than the gripes of jaded travelers. A new study finds that they, along with Honolulu International Airport, are the most likely to facilitate the spread of a major pandemic.
肯尼迪和洛杉矶机场的安检通道也可能是骇人听闻的。除了疲倦不堪、牢骚满腹的乘客,这些机场还有个更糟的共同点。一项新的研究发现,这两家机场和檀香山国际机场最有可能为重大流行病的传播提供通道。
Researchers at M.I.T. used real traveler patterns, geographical information and airport waiting times to predict what U.S. airports are most likely to spread an epidemic from its origin. The findings are reported in the journal Public Library of Science ONE.
麻省理工学院的研究人员利用真实的旅行模式,地理信息以及候机时间来预测美国机场最有可能把什么传染病从其起源地传播出去。这项研究发表在《公共科学图书馆·综合》期刊上。
The surprise is that the key airports are not necessarily the largest or busiest.
不过令人吃惊的是,主要的几家机场却未必是最大最繁忙的机场。
Previous research had focused on how easily pandemics can spread globally via air travel once they were in late stages. In those cases, the largest and best-connected airports are indeed the deadliest hubs. But the new work shows that in the first 10 days of an epidemic, other travel centers might be the spreading hot spots. This information could help improve control strategies when the next contagion strikes.
以前的研究重点关注:传染病一旦进入后期阶段,是如何通过空气传播到世界各地。在他们研究的案例中,规模最大,控制力度最好的机场往往是致命的中心。然而新的研究表明,在传染病发起的前10天,其他的旅游中心可能是传播热点。下一场传染病袭击时,这个信息说不定能够改善管控战略。
来源:可可英语 http://www.kekenet.com/broadcast/201211/207608.shtml