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Polio was driven out of much of the world more than 30 years ago after a series of successful vaccination campaigns.
在一系列成功的疫苗接种运动后，脊髓灰质炎于30多年前在世界大部分地区被消灭。
But the viral disease is still spreading in a small number of nations.
但是，这种病毒性疾病仍在少数国家传播。
The recent discovery of the first polio case in Gaza in 25 years led world health officials to set new goals to get rid of the disease in all areas.
最近在加沙发现了25年来的首例小儿麻痹症病例，这导致世界卫生官员设定了新的目标，即在所有地区消除这种疾病。
Polio is an infection caused by a virus that mostly affects children under the age of five.
脊髓灰质炎是一种由病毒引起的感染，主要影响五岁以下的儿童。
Most infected people do not have any symptoms.
大多数感染者没有任何症状。
But some can experience a high body temperature, headaches, vomiting and stiffness of the backbone, or spine.
但是有些人可能会经历高烧、头痛、呕吐和脊椎僵硬。
The World Health Organization (WHO) says polio can affect the nervous system and cause paralysis within hours.
世界卫生组织（世卫组织）表示，小儿麻痹症会影响神经系统，并在数小时内导致瘫痪。
The U.N. agency estimates 1 in 200 polio cases results in permanent paralysis, usually of the legs.
联合国机构估计，每200例脊髓灰质炎病例中就有1例导致永久性瘫痪，通常是腿部瘫痪。
Among children who are paralyzed, up to 10 percent die when their breathing muscles stop working.
在瘫痪的儿童中，高达10%的儿童会因呼吸肌停止工作而死亡。
The virus spreads from person to person, entering the body though the mouth.
这种病毒会在人与人之间传播，通过口腔进入人体。
It is most often spread through contact with the waste from an infected person.
它最常通过与感染者的排泄物接触传播。
Sometimes, it is also passed through water or food. Polio has existed for hundreds of years.
有时，它也会通过水或食物传播。脊髓灰质炎已经存在了数百年。
The Associated Press says that Ancient Egyptian writings show children using sticks to walk and having wasted legs or arms, suggesting the effects of polio.
美联社表示，古埃及的文字显示，有儿童使用拐杖行走，腿部或手臂萎缩，这体现的是小儿麻痹症带来的影响。
Before the first vaccine was developed in the 1950s, polio was among the world’s most feared diseases.
在20世纪50年代第一种疫苗问世之前，脊髓灰质炎是世界上最令人恐惧的疾病之一。
A 1916 outbreak in New York killed more than 2,000 people.
1916年在纽约爆发的脊灰疫情造成了2000多人死亡。
The worst recorded U.S. outbreak in 1952 killed more than 3,000 people.
美国有记录以来最严重的一次疫情发生在1952年，造成了3000多人死亡。
Many who survived polio suffered lifelong effects, including paralysis and deformed limbs.
许多从小儿麻痹症中幸存下来的人遭受了终身影响，包括瘫痪和肢体畸形。
Others whose breathing muscles were paralyzed required specialized lung treatments.
还有一些人的呼吸肌麻痹了，需要专门的肺部治疗。
The WHO passed a resolution in 1988 calling for polio to be eradicated, or destroyed, worldwide.
世界卫生组织于1988年通过了一项决议，呼吁在全球范围内根除或消灭脊髓灰质炎。
The effort followed a successful campaign against smallpox eight years earlier.
在那之前的八年，世界成功开展了一场针对天花的运动。
The WHO’s first plan was to eradicate polio by 2000.
世界卫生组织的第一个计划是在2000年之前根除脊髓灰质炎。
The U.N. agency cooperated with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, UNICEF and Rotary International.
联合国机构与美国疾病控制与预防中心、联合国儿童基金会和扶轮国际共同合作。
The campaign centered on increasing the production of a vaccine and launching vaccination efforts.
该运动的重点是增加疫苗的生产并开展疫苗接种工作。
As a result, polio cases dropped by more than 99 percent.
结果，小儿麻痹症病例减少了99%以上。
Afghanistan and Pakistan are the only countries where the spread of polio has never been stopped.
阿富汗和巴基斯坦是仅有的两个脊髓灰质炎传播从未被终结的国家。
There have also been outbreaks in several other countries, mostly in Africa.
其他几个国家也出现过脊灰爆发，主要是在非洲。
The WHO and its partners now aim to eradicate polio by 2026.
世界卫生组织及其合作伙伴现在的目标是到2026年根除脊髓灰质炎。
Health experts say stopping polio outbreaks requires vaccinating at least 95 percent of the world’s population.
健康专家表示，阻止脊髓灰质炎疫情爆发需要为全球至少95%的人口接种疫苗。
Vaccinating people is more difficult in nations that have conflicts or weak health systems.
在那些存在冲突或卫生系统薄弱的国家，为人们接种疫苗更加困难。
The vaccine given by mouth does not cost a lot to manufacture and is better at preventing infection.
口服疫苗生产成本不高，且在预防感染方面更有效。
But it contains weakened, live polio virus.
但是它含有弱化的、活的脊髓灰质炎病毒。
In rare cases, the vaccine can spread or cause polio in unvaccinated people.
在极少数情况下，疫苗可能会传播或导致未接种疫苗的人患上小儿麻痹症。
In even rarer cases, live virus from the vaccine can mutate into a new form that could start new outbreaks.
在更为罕见的情况下，疫苗中的活病毒可能会变异成一种新的形式，进而引发新的疫情。
Health officials have become more successful at reducing the number of cases caused by the natural polio virus.
卫生官员更擅长减少由天然脊髓灰质炎病毒引起的病例数量。
The majority of infections in the world today are related to the vaccine.
当今世界上的大多数感染都与疫苗有关。
Scott Barrett is a professor at Columbia University in New York City who has studied polio eradication.
斯科特·巴雷特是纽约市哥伦比亚大学的教授，他研究过根除脊髓灰质炎。
He told the AP, “The problem with trying to eradicate polio is that the need for perfection is so great and there are so many weak links.”
他告诉美联社：“试图根除小儿麻痹症的问题在于，人们极度需要做到完美，而现实又有太多的薄弱环节。”
He added that while the technical ability to destroy polio exists, “We live in a vastly imperfect world.”
他补充说，虽然存在消灭脊髓灰质炎的技术能力，“但我们生活在一个非常不完美的世界里。”
I’m Bryan Lynn.
我是布莱恩·林恩。
