Nearly 14 months after declaring a new H1N1 flu to be a pandemic, the World Health Organization said Tuesday that it's over.
在宣布甲型H1N1流感大流行的近14个月后，世界卫生组织(WHO)周二宣布它已经结束。
Identified in April 2009, the virus has 'largely run its course,' WHO Director-General Margaret Chan said, prompting the United Nations agency to remove its pandemic alert.
世卫组织总干事陈冯富珍说，2009年4月确认这种病毒后，它"已很大程度上步入自然减弱的过程"，从而令这家联合国下属机构解除了疾病大流行的警报。
The virus continues to circulate in some parts of the world, but at lower levels than last year, Dr. Chan said.
陈冯富珍说，这种病毒虽然在世界有些地方仍在传播，但程度已低于去年。
The announcement comes months after outbreaks of H1N1 flu, also known as swine flu, subsided in the U.S. and many other countries in the northern hemisphere, and after several countries canceled orders for vaccine. Only 311 deaths from the H1N1 virus have been confirmed by laboratories over the past two months, out of 18,449 deaths since April 2009.
世卫组织做出上述宣布之前的几个月，甲型H1N1流感（又称猪流感）在美国和北半球的其他许多国家大肆爆发。而也就是在一些国家取消了疫苗订单的几个月后，世卫组织宣布了上述决定。过去两个月中经实验室确认死于H1N1病毒的案例仅为311例，而自2009年4月以来的死亡案例为18,449例。
But Dr. Chan warned that the H1N1 virus continues to circulate and needs to be monitored closely. Unlike most seasonal-flu viruses, this one attacked young people most severely and is expected to keep doing so for some time, she said.
不过陈冯富珍警告说，H1N1病毒仍在传播，需要对其进行严密监控。她说，与多数季节性流感病毒不同，年轻人群极易感染此病毒，而且今后一段时间可能还会继续保持这一特性。
'It is likely that the virus will continue to cause serious disease in younger age groups,' she said. Between 20% and 40% of people in many countries are immune to the infection, and more have been vaccinated, Dr. Chan said -- leaving many still unprotected. Officials also want to keep a close eye out for possible mutations that might make the virus more lethal.
她说，今后该病毒可能会继续在年轻人群间引发严重疾病。她还说，在许多国家中，对此种病毒感染具有免疫力的人群占到20%至40%，还有更多的人已经接种了疫苗，但依然还有很多人未得到保护。官员们还将密切关注可能出现的变异，它也许会让这种病毒更具致死性。
Dr. Chan defended her agency's handling of the pandemic, following criticism that it had overestimated the impact of the virus, which caused only mild illness for the vast majority of people. The agency followed criteria laid out at the time, she said. 'That was the right call,' she said.
陈冯富珍为世卫组织对H1N1疫情大流行的处理进行了辩护，此前有批评说它高估了这种病毒的影响，其实对绝大多数受感染人群而言只是引起了轻微的病症。她说，世卫组织按照当时的标准对疫情予以应对，那是正确的判断。
Betsy McKay
- agency [´eidʒənsi]
n.代理商；机构；代理 (初中英语单词) - unlike [,ʌn´laik] a.不同的 prep.不象... (初中英语单词)
- criticism [´kritisizəm] n.批评；评论(文) (初中英语单词)
- illness [´ilnis] n.生病，不健康，疾病 (初中英语单词)
- circulate [´sə:kjuleit] v.(血液等)循环；流通 (高中英语单词)
- announcement [ə´naunsmənt] n.通告；宣布；言谈 (高中英语单词)
- severely [si´viəli] ad.剧烈地；严格地 (高中英语单词)
- infection [in´fekʃən] n.感染，影响 (高中英语单词)
- hemisphere [´hemisfiə] n.半球；范围，领域 (英语四级单词)
- impact [´impækt] n.影响，作用；冲击 (英语六级单词)
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