VOA慢速英语：给孕妇注射的RSV疫苗能保护新生儿

A new study finds that vaccinating pregnant women for RSV was effective in protecting their newborns from the sickness.

一项新的研究发现，为孕妇接种RSV疫苗能够有效地保护她们的新生儿免受疾病困扰。

RSV stands for respiratory syncytial virus. It affects the body's breathing system. RSV is most common in babies, but can also affect adults. Most of the time it only causes minor sickness such as runny nose and cough. But in serious cases it can lead to life-threatening disease in some babies and older people.

RSV是呼吸道合胞病毒的缩写，主要影响人体的呼吸系统。RSV在婴儿中最常见，但也可能影响成年人。大多数情况下，它只会引起轻微的疾病，如流鼻涕和咳嗽。但在严重的情况下，它可能会引发危及婴儿和老年人的生命的疾病。

American drug maker Pfizer did the study. It announced the results Tuesday. The study subjects were given the vaccine in the second half of their pregnancy terms.

这项研究由美国制药商辉瑞公司领导。该公司在星期二宣布了研究结果。研究对象在怀孕期的后半段接种了疫苗。

The company said its RSV vaccine was nearly 82 percent effective in preventing severe cases of the virus during the first 90 days of a baby's life. At six months of age, the vaccine was found to be 69 percent effective against serious sickness, the study found.

该公司表示，其RSV疫苗在婴儿出生后90天内预防严重病毒病例的有效率接近82%。研究发现，在婴儿6个月大的时候，该疫苗的有效率为69%。

Pfizer said there were no signs of safety problems in mothers or babies.

辉瑞公司说，接种疫苗后，母亲或婴儿没有出现安全问题的迹象。

The company said the study showed the vaccine was most effective against severe disease. For milder sickness, the rate of effectiveness dropped to between 51 to 57 percent.

该公司说，研究表明该疫苗对重症最有效。对于轻症，有效率下降到51%到57%。

In the United States, RSV leads to the hospitalization of about 58,000 children younger than age 5 each year. Several hundred children die. About 177,000 adults 65 and older are hospitalized with RSV each year and it kills about 14,000.

在美国，RSV每年导致约58,000名5岁以下的儿童住院治疗，几百名儿童死亡。每年约有17.7万名65岁及以上的成年人因RSV住院治疗，约有1.4万人死亡。

Worldwide, about 100,000 children a year die from RSV, most of them in poor countries.

在世界范围内，每年约有10万名儿童死于RSV，其中大部分在贫困国家。

Pfizer said it plans to seek government approval of its RSV vaccine by the end of 2022. If approved, Pfizer's shot could become the first vaccine given to mothers to prevent RSV in young children.

辉瑞公司表示，它计划在2022年底前寻求政府批准其RSV疫苗。如果获得批准，该疫苗可能成为首个给母亲注射、预防幼儿RSV的疫苗。

British drug maker GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) is also working on developing a vaccine against RSV.

英国制药商葛兰素史克公司(GSK)也在努力开发一种针对RSV的疫苗。

Both companies recently announced their shots have also shown good results protecting older people.

这两家公司最近都宣布，他们的疫苗对老年人也有很好的保护作用。

Kena Swanson is vice president of Pfizer's viral vaccines division. She told Reuters news agency that a vaccine given to mothers "takes advantage of the ability to protect the infant from day one." Swanson added that the results are important because they showed the vaccine is highly effective at protecting babies at "the peak of hospitalization," at around one to two months of age.

科纳·斯旺森是辉瑞公司病毒疫苗部门的副总裁。她告诉路透社记者，给母亲注射的疫苗 "利用了母亲对婴儿自始至终的保护力"。斯旺森补充说，这些结果很重要，因为它们显示疫苗在 "住院高峰期"，即婴儿大约一到两个月大的时候，可以非常有效的保护婴儿。

Children's hospitals in parts of the U.S. have been reporting worrying levels of RSV cases. While the latest findings will not be able to help that situation, they do raise hopes that one or more vaccines might become available before next fall's RSV season.

美国部分地区的儿童医院一直在报告令人担忧的RSV病例水平。虽然最新的研究结果对当前的情况并无助益，但它们确实给不久的将来赋予了希望，在明年秋天RSV季之前，一种或多种疫苗可能会出现。

"My fingers are crossed," said Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious disease specialist at Vanderbilt University. "We're making inroads," he added.

范德堡大学传染病专家威廉·沙夫纳博士说:“我在祈祷。”“我们正在取得进展。”他补充说。

I'm Bryan Lynn.

布莱恩·林恩报道。