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Chinese authorities have admitted for the first time that limited human-to-human transmission of the deadly H7N9 flu virus is theoretically possible, adding to fears over the virus that has now claimed 17 lives in eastern China.
中國政府首次承認，致命的H7N9禽流感病毒理論上可能出現有限的人際感染，這增加了人們對該病毒的恐懼。迄今這種病毒已導致中國東部17人死亡。
In a departure from earlier comments, scientists at Beijing’s Center for Disease Control and Prevention said evidence from H7N9 infections in families was “unclear” and they were still studying the cases to determine whether human-to-human transmission had occurred.
與此前言論不同的是，北京的中國疾病預防控制中心(Center for Disease Control and Prevention)的科學家表示，H7N9是否會在家庭內傳播的證據“尚不清楚”，他們仍在研究病例，確定是否發生過人際感染。
“For a virus that can pass from birds to humans, then after a person is infected, in theory it can also infect, in very rare cases, members of a population who are particularly susceptible to infection or who have certain characteristics,” said Feng Zijian, director of the public health emergency centre at the CDC, in remarks posted on the Ministry of Health’s website.
據中國衛生部網站報道，中國疾病預防控制中心衛生應急中心主任馮子健表示：“它既然可以從禽偶然感染人類，如果人感染了以后，從理論上講，也可以導致人群中和他密切接觸的某些特定的、非常少見的易感者感染，這就是所謂的有限的人傳人。”
The H7N9 avian influenza has infected 82 people, of which five have recovered, 17 have died and the rest remain in critical condition, according to the Ministry of Health’s tally on April 17, the most recent date for which numbers were available.
中國衛生部4月17日的統計數據顯示，N7N9禽流感已經感染了82人，其中5人治愈，17人死亡，其他人病情嚴重。這是最新能夠獲取的數據。(編者注：據中國媒體報道，截止北京時間18日晚間，全國確診病例已達87例）
However, Mr Feng downplayed fears of a pandemic. “Even if a small number of family cluster infections appear, it would not mean the virus had already achieved the ability of effective human-to-human transmission,” he said. He added that no firm evidence of human-to-human transmission has yet been found.
不過，馮子健淡化了疫情大爆發的擔心。他表示：“即便有少數的家庭聚集性病例出現，也不意味著病毒已經具備了有效人傳人的能力。”他補充道，目前尚未發現人傳人的確鑿證據。
The virus is difficult to track because it is asymptomatic in some birds, meaning it can spread undetected in bird populations, and scientists have not yet determined how it is transmitted.
這些病毒很難追蹤，因為在某些鳥類身上沒有癥狀，這意味著病毒在鳥類之間傳播不會被發現，科學家尚不清楚病毒是如何傳播的。
While bird-to-human transmission is suspected, only half of the people who have caught H7N9 remember having recent contact with birds.
盡管目前懷疑是禽類感染人類，但在感染H7N9的人中，只有一半人記得最近接觸過禽鳥。
No vaccine exists for the H7N9 virus, but China, Taiwan and the US all say they have started working on one. In an unusual show of openness, China has shared details of the virus with scientists around the world, including sending virus samples to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
目前尚無H7N9疫苗，但中國大陸、臺灣和美國都表示已經開始研發疫苗。這次中國展現出不同尋常的開放態度，與全世界的科學家分享病毒細節，包括向美國疾病控制預防中心(US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)提供病毒樣本。
