美联社报道：鼠疫是一种罕见的细菌感染，因在14世纪的欧洲夺去了数千万人的生命而臭名昭著，但它从未真正消失。如今，这种病已能通过抗生素轻松治疗。
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS The plague, the rare bacterial infection infamously known for killing tens of millions in 14th-century Europe, never went away . It is now easily treated with antibiotics.
根据世界卫生组织的数据，自20世纪90年代以来，大多数人类感染病例都出现在非洲，尤其是刚果和马达加斯加。
Since the 1990s, most human cases have been reported in Africa, especially Congo and Madagascar, according to the World Health Organization .
据美国疾病控制与预防中心称，美国平均每年约有7例人类感染病例，主要出现在美国西部的农村地区。
There are an average of about seven human cases per year in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , mostly in rural areas of the American West.
最近，西伯利亚一家鼠疫研究机构的员工因肺炎去世。在未经证实的媒体报道称她可能死于肺鼠疫后，这一病例在俄罗斯引发了担忧。俄罗斯当局表示，检测结果显示没有鼠疫的证据，但该研究机构已被隔离。
A worker at a plague research institute in Siberia recently died of pneumonia. The case has raised alarm in Russia after unconfirmed media reports suggested she might have died of pneumonic plague. Russian authorities say testing showed no evidence of plague, but the research institute has been quarantined.
英国雷丁大学的西蒙·克拉克表示：“人们认为鼠疫已经消失了，觉得那是500年前才发生的事情。但事实并非如此，它就在我们身边。”“除非你能消灭那些野生动物——而这显然不可能——否则你根本无法根除这种细菌。”听到鼠疫仍然存在，你是否感到惊讶？以下是你需要了解的内容。
“People think the plague is gone, it was something that occurred 500 years ago. It’s not. It’s here amongst us,” said Simon Clarke of the University of Reading in the U.K. “Unless you get rid of those wild animals, which of course is not possible, then you’re not going to get rid of the bacteria.”Surprised to hear the plague is still around? Here’s what to know. Pneumonic plague and the more well-known bubonic plague – also called the Black Death — are caused by the same bacteria, called Yersinia pestis.
肺鼠疫和更广为人知的腺鼠疫（又称黑死病）由同一种名为鼠疫耶尔森菌的细菌引起。
The bacteria spread naturally among rodents like prairie dogs and rats.
这种细菌在草原犬鼠和老鼠等啮齿动物中自然传播。从受感染动物身上跳下并叮咬人类的跳蚤，也可能传播这种疾病。
Fleas that jump from infected animals and bite people can spread the disease. The bubonic plague is the most common form of the infection.
腺鼠疫是最常见的感染形式。它会引发剧烈疼痛的淋巴结肿大，通常出现在腹股沟、腋窝和颈部，这些肿大的淋巴结被称为“鼠疫包”。根据克利夫兰诊所的说法，其他症状还包括突发高烧、寒战、头痛以及腹部、腿部和手臂的疼痛。
It causes painfully swollen lymph nodes that are most commonly found in the groin, armpit and neck, called buboes. Other symptoms include sudden high fever and chills, headaches, and pain in the abdomen, legs and arms, according to the Cleveland Clinic. There are two other forms of the plague: pneumonic plague, which can be caused by inhaling the bacteria, infects the lungs.
鼠疫还有另外两种形式：肺鼠疫，由吸入细菌引起，会感染肺部；败血型鼠疫则是血液中的感染。世界卫生组织表示，这两种鼠疫若未能及早治疗，均可能致命。
Septicemic plague is an infection in the bloodstream. Both are fatal if not treated early, according to the World Health Organization.
如果得不到治疗，腺鼠疫通常会进一步发展，演变为上述另外两种鼠疫。
Bubonic plague will often advance and turn into the other two forms of plague if untreated.
除了被受感染的跳蚤叮咬外，接触受感染的体液也可能导致感染鼠疫。因此，健康专家建议在处理死或生病的动物时要格外小心。肺鼠疫患者通过呼吸道飞沫也可能传播鼠疫。
Other than bites from infected fleas, people can also get plague by touching infected bodily fluids, so health experts recommend taking extra care when handling dead or sick animals. The plague can also spread through the respiratory droplets of someone who has pneumonic plague. “If you cough, you can spread it to another person, but that doesn’t travel very far,” said Dr. Glenn Wortmann, MedStar Washington Hospital Center.
“如果你咳嗽，就可能将病菌传染给他人，但这种传播方式并不会传得太远，”MedStar华盛顿医疗中心医生格伦·沃特曼（Glenn Wortmann）表示，“所以，你必须与患者面对面接触，才会感染肺鼠疫。”正因如此，他说道：“鼠疫在俄罗斯大规模传播，再蔓延到美国的可能性并不存在。”
“So you really need to be in face-to-face contact with that person to get pneumonic plague.”That’s why “the chance of this spreading widely in Russia and then extending here to the U.S. will not happen,” he said.
鼠疫从未被彻底根除，但我们在预防其传播和为人类治疗方面已经取得了进步。
The plague was never eradicated, but we’ve gotten better at preventing its spread and treating it in humans.
如果及早使用抗生素治疗，鼠疫是可以治愈的。关键在于尽快就医——否则鼠疫可能致命。
When treated early with antibiotics, the plague can be cured. The key is to get to a doctor fast — otherwise the plague can be deadly.
目前已有疫苗，但世界卫生组织仅建议高风险人群接种，例如实验室和医护人员。不过，尚无充分证据表明疫苗对肺鼠疫有效。美国目前尚无可用的鼠疫疫苗。
There is a vaccine, but the WHO only recommends it for people who are at high risk of infection, like laboratory and healthcare workers. But there isn’t strong evidence that vaccines can work against the pneumonic form. There’s no plague vaccine available in the U.S.
美联社视频记者哈维尔·阿尔西加（Javier Arciga）从圣地亚哥为这篇报道提供了支持。
AP video journalist Javier Arciga contributed to this story from San Diego.