感謝讚美上帝護理的大能与豐盛的供應。 本網誌內的所有資源純屬學習交流之用。

2020-01-27


新冠病毒来袭:如何自我防护TheWuhan Virus: How to Stay Safe

作者:Laurie Garrett,科学记者、普利策获奖者;曾为美国外交关系协会
研究全球健康的资深会员。
翻译:《译家》团队
January 26, 2020

中国当前疫情的继续蔓延难免让人恐慌。这里有十个简单措施可以帮助你防范新冠病毒。
As China’s epidemic continues to spread, things may seem scary. Here are ten simple precautions that can protect you from contracting the coronavirus.

随着原发于武汉的新冠病毒在中国大陆四处蔓延并波及全球,人们的恐慌情绪正在上升。在中国国内,政府被迫采取严厉措施以阻止病毒继续蔓延,包括在北京也对出行有所限制。人们的无助感有增无减。我收到不少在中国工作的新闻记者和公共健康工作者的焦急询问:“我们该如何保护自己和家人?”
As the new Wuhan coronavirus has spread not only all over mainland China, but also worldwide, panic is rising. Inside China there is a growing sense of helplessness, as the government is compelled to take drastic measures to stop the virus, including introducing some travel restrictions in Beijing. I have received panicked queries from journalists and public health workers in China, asking, “How can we protect ourselves and our families?”

如果三周前就有更多的信息公开和迅速及时的措施,而不是试图掩盖真相,这次疫情应该还是比较容易控制的。但是现在为时已晚,该病毒正在全球传播。由于没有针对nCoV2019(又称“武汉肺炎”)的疫苗或治疗方法,并且感染已在全国蔓延,因此政府只得搬用2003年对付SARS的办法。这意味着必须封锁整座的城市,必须限制本国人口的流动和潜在的疾病传播行为。接下来就算会不准人离开北京也不足为奇。整个中国大陆可能很快也会被封锁。
The epidemic could have been controlled fairly easily three weeks ago had there been more openness, swift action, and no attempted cover-up. But now it’s too late, and this virus is spreading globally. Because there is no vaccine or treatment for nCoV2019—the Wuhan pneumonia—and infection has spread throughout China, the government is forced to turn to its 2003 SARS playbook. And that means entire cities must be cut off, and the population of the nation must be restricted in its movements and potential disease-spreading behavior. It is not surprising then that travel out of Beijing may be forbidden; the entire mainland could go on lockdown soon.

我理解大家的恐惧,而且我预料未来的日子恐慌情绪还会上升。然而以下十种简单的做法可以保护你自己。
I know people are very frightened. And I expect panic will rise in the coming days. But very simple measures can protect you.

SARS流行期间我去了中国大陆和香港各处采访受感染者、参与治疗的医生和护士、政府官员、警察等各种各样的人。尽管我和病人同处一室,我也不担心自己会被传染。那是因为我知道该采取什么预防措施。以下是其中最需要了解的几个重点:
During the SARS epidemic, I traveled all over China and Hong Kong, interviewed people infected with the virus, doctors and nurses treating the disease, government officials, police—everybody. I was never concerned that I would become infected, despite being in the room with sick individuals. And that’s because I knew what precautions to take. Here are the most important ones to know:

1.离家外出时要戴手套(冬季的连指手套或户外手套),在地铁、公共汽车上和公共场所都戴着别摘下来。
1. When you leave your home, wear gloves—winter mittens or outdoor gloves—and keep them on in subways, buses, and public spaces.

2.如果你在社交场合需要脱下手套,比如在握手或用餐时,千万不要用手触摸脸部或眼睛。不论有多么痒,都别让手碰到脸部。在重新戴上手套之前,要先用肥皂和温水彻底清洗双手,搓干净手指,然后戴上手套。
2. If you are in a social situation where you should remove your gloves, perhaps to shake hands or dine, do not touch your face or eyes, no matter how much something itches. Keep your hands away from contact with your face. And before you put your gloves back on, wash your hands thoroughly with soap and warm water, scrubbing the fingers. Put your gloves on.

3.每天换手套并彻底清洗,不要戴湿手套。
3. Change gloves daily, washing them thoroughly, and avoid wearing damp gloves.

4. 口罩如果不能盖严口鼻四周,就不会有多少保护作用。在室外,尤其是在阳光下,紫外线能杀病毒,戴口罩的必要性不大,因为这时病毒不大可能被随机地吹进人的口鼻。即使在室内,口罩如果被重复使用多次,或是松垮地戴在脸上,或是被没戴手套的手摘下来过,那它就是心理安慰多于实质性保护了。
4. Masks are useless when worn outdoors and may not be very helpful even indoors. Most masks deteriorate after one or two wearings.

重复使用同一口罩比不用还糟——而且令人恶心,因为你的口鼻呼出来的东西会在口罩内形成一层臭臭的薄膜,最容易吸引细菌。我在疫情爆发时并不单纯依赖口罩,而我已经历过三十多次疫情!我的做法是避免去人多的地方,在与任何个人打交道时保持半米的距离,即大约1.5英尺,这是个比较好的标准。如果有人咳嗽或者打喷嚏,我就请他们戴上口罩,以免我被喷到有可能带有病毒的口鼻液。如果他们拒绝,我会离他们一米(约3英尺)远,或者离开。不要跟人握手或者拥抱,礼貌地谢绝,解释在疫病流行时亲密接触对你俩都不好。
Using the same mask day after day is worse than useless—it’s disgusting, as the contents of your mouth and nose eventually coat the inside of the mask with a smelly veneer that is attractive to bacteria. I rarely wear a face mask in an epidemic, and I have been in more than 30 outbreaks. Instead, I stay away from crowds, and I keep my distance from individual people—a half meter, about 1.5 feet, is a good standard. If someone is coughing or sneezing, I ask them to put on a mask—to protect me from their potentially contaminated fluids. If they decline, I step a meter (about 3 feet) away from them, or I leave. Don’t shake hands or hug people—politely beg off, saying it’s better for both of you not to come in close contact during an epidemic.

5. 在自己家里,即刻换掉卫生间和厨房里所有的毛巾,换上标着每人名字的干净毛巾。让每个人都只用自己的毛巾,而不碰别人的。每周清洗两次所有毛巾。湿毛巾是各种病毒的好家园,比如普通感冒和流感,当然也包括冠状病毒。
5. Inside your household, remove all of the towels from your bathrooms and kitchen immediately, and replace them with clean towels that have the names of each family member on them. Instruct everybody in your home to only use their own towels and never touch another family member’s. Wash all towels twice a week. Damp towels provide terrific homes for viruses, like common colds, flus, and, yes, coronaviruses.

6. 要特别小心门把手。如果可能,最好用手肘或肩膀开门。不然就戴着手套去开门,或者开完门后马上洗手。如果你家里有人已经生病,那么一定要定期擦洗门把手。类似的,对楼梯把手、桌面、手机、玩具、笔记本电脑——任何要用手接触的东西都要非常小心。你如果只碰自己的东西没事,但是如果你需要拿起别人的手机、炊具,或者用别人的电脑键盘,过后要马上洗手,千万别碰你的脸。
6. Be careful with doorknobs. If it’s possible to open and close doors using your elbows or shoulders, do so. Wear gloves to turn a doorknob—or wash your hands after touching it. If anybody in your home takes sick, wash your doorknobs regularly. Similarly, be cautious with stairway banisters, desktops, cell phones, toys, laptops—any objects that are hand-held. As long as you handle only your own personal objects, you will be ok—but if you need to pick up someone else’s cell phone or cooking tools or use someone else’s computer keyboard, be mindful of not touching your face and wash your hands immediately after touching the object.

7.如果你和别人一起吃饭,不要用自己的筷子和餐具到公共的碗盆里取食。当然也需要告诉你的孩子不能喝别人杯子里、或者大家共用的容器里的饮料。在中国习惯于一顿饭做好几个菜,然后每人用自己的筷子到共享的菜碟里去夹菜。在疫病流行时不要这么做。在每个菜里放公勺,每人用公勺取菜然后将公勺放回菜碟,然后才用自己的筷子从自己盘子里夹菜入口。做饭菜前洗净食物;餐前餐后洗净锅碗瓢盆;不要去卫生脏乱差的餐馆。
7. If you share meals, do not use your personal chopsticks and utensils to remove food from a serving bowl or plate and, of course, tell your children to never drink out of anybody else’s cups or from a container of shared fluid. It is customary in China to prepare several dishes for a meal and then allow everybody at the table to use their personal chopsticks to pull food from the common dishes: Don’t do this until the epidemic is over. Place serving spoons in each dish and instruct everybody at the table to scoop what they want from the serving dishes onto their personal plates or bowls, return the serving spoon to the main dish, and then use their personal chopsticks only to pick food from their personal plate or bowl into their mouth. Wash all food and kitchenware thoroughly between meals and avoid restaurants that have poor hygiene practices.

8. 在查清病毒来自什么动物之前绝对不要购买、宰杀或食用任何活体动物或活鱼。
8. Absolutely do not buy, slaughter, or consume any live animal or fish until it is known what species was the source of the virus.

9. 如果天气允许,在家和上班时都打开窗户,流通新鲜空气。病毒不能在空气流良好的地方存活很长时间。当然如果天气很冷很糟,还是需要保暖和关上窗户。
9. When the weather allows, open your windows at home or work, letting your space air out. The virus cannot linger in a well-ventilated space. But of course, if it is cold or the weather is inclement, keep warm and close those windows.

10. 最后如果你是在照顾发烧的家人或者朋友在他们身边时一定要戴上严丝合缝的口罩而且让病人也戴上除非他们犯恶心。为亲友换口罩时一定要非常非常小心。为了你自己的安全一定要假设这上面全是病毒。戴上乳胶手套去拿,把它放在一次性容器里密封后扔到垃圾桶里。戴着乳胶手套,用一次性毛巾/棉棒给病人轻轻地拿温肥皂水洗脸;然后同样密封于一次性的容器或塑料袋里,扔进垃圾桶。照顾病人时最好穿上长袖上衣和盖住自己全身的衣服。把病人穿过和碰过的东西如衣物、床单、毛巾和餐具在热肥皂水里洗彻底。如果有条件的话,把家里的病人隔离在某个房间,或者某个舒适的固定角落,但是和家里其他人分开。如果天气好,在房间另一头开窗,使得微风可以吹过病人的脸再吹到外面去。当然天气太冷时不能这么做,如果开窗让房间里太冷,反而会让病人病情加重。
10. Finally, if you are caring for a friend or family member who is running a fever, always wear a tight-fitting mask when you are near them, and place one on the ailing person (unless they are nauseated). When you replace an old, dirty mask from the face of your friend or loved one be very, very careful—assume, for the sake of your protection, that it is covered in viruses, and handle it while wearing latex gloves, place it inside of a disposable container, seal it, and then put it in the trash. While wearing those latex gloves, gently wash the patient’s face with warm soap and water, using a disposable paper towel or cotton swab, and seal it after use in a container or plastic bag before placing it in your household trash. Wear long-sleeved shirts and clothing that covers your body when you are caring for your ailing friend or relative. Clean everything your patient wears or touches very thoroughly in hot soapy water, including sheets, towels, and utensils. If you have space, isolate the sick person in your household in a room, or a corner of a room, where they are comfortable, but separated from the rest of the household. If the weather is tolerable, open a window that is on the opposite side of the room, so that air gently blows past the patient’s face and then outdoors. Of course, don’t do this if it is very cold, as your friend or loved one will be made sicker if uncomfortably cold.

中国政府在接下来的几周内可能会有非常严厉的措施对老百姓来说会是一段苦日子。当病毒传到别的国家,别国也可能会采用类似的严厉举措来缓解疫情。如果你家人、邻居、公司同事、学校同学所有人都使用上面这些简单的防范措施,可以大大减少病毒的传播,
The Chinese government will take very drastic actions over the next few weeks, and this will be a time of hardship for the Chinese people. As the virus spreads in other countries, similarly draconian measures may be invoked to slow the epidemic. But with these simple precautions, if taken by everybody in your household, building, office, and school, you will dramatically reduce the spread of the virus and bring the outbreak to its knees.

Be safe. Do not panic. Take commonsense precautions. As frightening as this time is, you will get through it.
注意安全。不要惊慌。采取常识性的防范措施。疫情虽然凶险,但总会过去。