什么是东方马脑炎?
Another mosquito-transmitted illness is making headlines as the annoying insect continues to earn its reputation as the world's deadliest animal.
另一种由蚊子传播的疾病成为头条新闻，这种令人讨厌的昆虫继续赢得了世界上最致命动物的名声。
The Culex mosquito, or Southern house mosquito, can transmit Eastern equine encephalitis. (Photo: Muhammad Mahdi Karim [GFDL 1.2]/Wikimedia Commons)
The Eastern equine encephalitis (EEE) virus was confirmed in Massachusetts and New York this summer, Newsweek reports. Hospital representatives at Tufts Medical Center said a Massachusetts woman in her 50s died in late August after contracting the mosquito-borne illness.
据《新闻周刊》报道，东方马脑炎病毒(EEE)今年夏天在马萨诸塞州和纽约得到证实。塔夫茨医疗中心的医院代表说，马萨诸塞州一名50多岁的妇女感染了这种由蚊子传播的疾病，于8月底去世。
What is Eastern equine encephalitis?
什么是东方马脑炎?
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the EEE virus can cause encephalitis, which is rare inflammation of the brain. In the United States, there are usually only five to 10 cases of EEE reported each year. It can only be transmitted by the bite of an infected mosquito. Some of the mosquitoes that can spread the virus to humans include the Aedes, Coquillettidia and Culex species. EEE can't be spread from person to person or from horses to people.
根据美国疾病控制和预防中心(CDC)的研究，EEE病毒可导致脑炎，这是一种罕见的脑部炎症。在美国，每年通常只报告5到10例EEE病例。它只能通过受感染蚊子的叮咬传播。一些能将病毒传播给人类的蚊子包括伊蚊、Coquillettidia和库蚊。EEE不能从一个人传染给另一个人，也不能从马传染给人。
The disease was first recognized in 1831 when 75 horses died of a similar condition in Massachusetts, according to a Purdue University newsletter edited by virologist Dr. Roman Pogranichniy. The virus was isolated two years later when a significant outbreak of encephalomyelitis occurred in horses in parts of Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey and Virginia, along the coast.
根据病毒学家Roman Pogranichniy博士编辑的普渡大学通讯，1831年首次发现了这种疾病，马萨诸塞州有75匹马死于类似的疾病。两年后，在特拉华州、马里兰州、新泽西州和弗吉尼亚州沿海部分地区爆发了一场大规模的马脑脊髓炎疫情，病毒被分离出来。
Symptoms of EEE
EEE的症状
Early symptoms of EEE are very similar to the flu. They often begin with headache, high fever, chills, muscle aches and vomiting. The illness can progress with more severe symptoms including seizures, disorientation and coma. About one-third of those who get the virus die, according to the CDC. Many of those who survive can have mild to severe brain damage.
EEE的早期症状与流感非常相似。它们通常以头痛、高烧、发冷、肌肉疼痛和呕吐开始。这种疾病会发展成更严重的症状，包括癫痫、定向障碍和昏迷。根据CDC的数据，大约三分之一的感染者死亡。许多幸存下来的人可能有轻微到严重的脑损伤。
Who is at risk of EEE?
谁有EEE的风险?
Most cases of EEE have been reported from Gulf Coast and Atlantic states, although the virus has also been found in the Great Lakes area and scattered throughout the country. It's most commonly contracted in late spring through early fall, reports the CDC.
大多数EEE病例报告来自墨西哥湾沿岸和大西洋沿岸国家，尽管该病毒也在五大湖地区发现并散布在全国各地。疾控中心报告说，最常见的感染是在春末秋初。
Anyone who is in an area where the virus is spreading can become infected. The risk is greater for people who spend more time outdoors, particularly in areas where there are mosquitoes.
任何在病毒传播地区的人都可能被感染。对于那些花更多时间在户外的人来说，风险更大，尤其是在有蚊子的地方。
Is there a treatment?
有治疗方法吗?
Although there is an effective vaccine for horses, there is no EEE vaccine for people.
虽然有一种针对马的有效疫苗，但还没有针对人的EEE疫苗。
There is also no specific antiviral treatment for EEE, so the only treatment is supportive care and, of course, prevention. Ward off and kill mosquitoes by using insect repellent, fans, protective clothing and preventative measures to stop them from breeding in your yard.
EEE也没有特定的抗病毒治疗，所以唯一的治疗是支持性护理，当然，还有预防。使用驱蚊剂、风扇、防护服和预防措施来阻止蚊子在你的院子里繁殖，从而防止和杀死蚊子。
"The key to staying safe is protection,” said Sam Telford, professor at Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University and expert on disease spread by ticks and mosquitoes. “Even though EEE is rare, there’s no way to know where and when it can strike.”
塔夫茨大学(Tufts University)卡明斯兽医学院(Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine)教授、蜱虫和蚊子传播疾病专家萨姆•特尔福德(Sam Telford)表示:“保持安全的关键是保护。”“尽管EEE很罕见，但我们无法知道它会在何时何地袭击我们。”
