International Vaccination: A .jab in time
Some Western countries have lower vaccination rates than poor parts of Africa. Anti-vaxxers are not the main culprits.
Eradicating a disease is the sort of aim that rich countries come up with, and poor ones struggle to reach. But for some diseases, the pattern is reversed. These are the ailments for which vaccinations exist. Many poor countries run highly effective vaccination programmers. But as memories of the toll from infectious diseases fades across the rich world, in some places they are making a comeback. The World Health Organization (WHO) reckons that vaccines save 2.5m lives a year. Smallpox was eradicated in 1980 with the help of a vaccine; polio should soon follow. In both cases, rich countries led the way. The new pattern looks very different.
The trend is most evident for measles, which is highly contagious. At least 95% of people must vaccinate to stop its spread (a threshold known as "herd immunity"). Although usually mild, it can lead to pneumonia and cause brain damage or blindness the countries with the lowest vaccination rates are all very poor, but many developing countries run excellent programmes (see chart). Eritrea. Rwanda and Sri Lanka manage to vaccinate nearly everyone. By contrast, several rich countries, including America, Britain. France and Italy, are below herd immunity. Last year Europe missed the deadline it had set itself in 2010 to eradicate measles- and had almost 4,000 Cases. America was declared measles-free in 2000; in 2014 it had hundreds of cases across 27 states and last year saw its first death from the disease in more than a decade. The trends for other vaccine-preventable diseases, such as rubella, which can cause congenital disabilities if a pregnant woman catches it, are alarming, too.
This sorry state of affairs Js often blamed on hard line "anti-vaxxers: parent’s u ho refuses all vaccines for their children. They arc a motley lot. The Amish in America spurn modern medicine, along with almost everything else invented since the 17th century. Some vegans object to the use of animal-derived products in vaccines' manufacture. The Protestant Dutch Reformed Church thinks vaccines thwart divine will. Anthroposophy, founded in the 19th century by Rudolf Steiner, an Austrian mystic-cum-philosopher, preaches that diseases strengthen children's physical and mental development.
In most countries such refuseniks are only 2-3% of parents. But because they tend to live in clusters, they can be the source of outbreaks. A bigger problem, though, is the growing number of parents who delay vaccination, or pick and choose jabs. Studies from America, Australia and Europe suggest that about a quarter of parents fall into this group, generally because they think that the standard vaccination schedule, which protects against around a dozen diseases, "overloads- children’s immune systems, or that particular vaccines are unsafe. Some believe vaccines interfere with “natural immunity". Many were shaken by a claim, later debunked, that there was a link between autism and the MMR vaccine, which protects against measles, mumps and rubella.
In America, some pour children miss out on vaccines despite a federal programme to provide the jabs free, since they have no regular relationship with a family doctor. Some outbreaks in Eastern Europe have started in communities or Roma (gypsies). Members of this poor and ostracized minority are shunned by health workers and often go unvaccinated.
1. The word "culprits "(Line 2. Paragraph 1) probably refers to( ).
2. The word "Anti-vaxxers "(Line 1, Paragraph 1) probably refers to( ).
3. For some diseases( ).
4. Which of the following is true?
5. Which of the following accords with the author's view?
1.词义题。根据题干定位至第一段: Some Western countries have lower vaccination rates than poor parts of Africa (与非洲贫困地区相比,部分西方国家的疫苗接种率更低), 以及: Anti-vaxxers are not the main culprits (反疫苗者并非主要的…)。由此推断“culprits” 是对“反疫苗者”的介绍。因此D项 “做坏事(不道德行为)的某人”正确。
2.词义题。根据题干定位至第一段: Some Western countries have lower vaccination rates than poor parts of Africa (与非洲贫困地区相比,部分西方国家的疫苗接种率更低), 以及: Anti-vaxxers are not the main culprits,可知,“Anti-vaxxers”是指A项“那些拒绝为孩子接种所有疫苗的人”。
3.判断推理题。A: 在疾病预防上,富裕国家没有贫穷国家更有效,第二段指出: But for some diseases, the pattern is reversed. These are the ailments for which vaccinations exist. Many poor countries run highly effective vaccination programmes (但对于一些需要接种疫苗而疫苗存在安全隐患的疾病来说,上述模式正好相反。许多落后国家实施高效疫苗接种方案)。因此A正确。B: 富国正在努力根除,而贫穷国家却不能。第二段指出: Eradicating a disease is the sort of aim that rich countries come up with, and poor ones struggle to reach (消灭疾病是发达国家提出的目标,落后的国家则要很努力才能实现这一目标)。C:他们在富国找不到出路,只有在穷国。文章并未体现此项。D:仅仅在贫穷国家卷土重来。根据第二段中“in some places they are making a comeback”可知D项错误。因此,本题选A。
4.事实细节题。第三段指出: Smallpox was eradicated in 1980 with the help of a vaccine (在疫苗的作用下,1980年,天花得以消灭),因此A项正确。
5.判断推理题。A:如果人们接种疫苗,那么所有疾病将根除。此选项在文中找不到依据。B:反疫苗者可能成为爆发的源头,因为他们为群居。倒数第二段指出: But because they tend to live in clusters, they can be the source of outbreaks (然而,因为他们大多为群居生活,这可能使得他们成为疾病爆发的源头) ,因此B项符合作者的观点。C:自闭症和MMR疫苗之间有联系。倒数第二段指出: Many were shaken by a claim, later debunked, that there was a link between autism and the MMR vaccine, which protects against measles, mumps and rubella (许多人曾被一个说法所动摇,该说法声称麻疹、腮腺炎、风疹三联疫苗(MMR疫苗) 会导致自闭症一一这一说法后遭拆穿),因此C项不符合作者的观点。D:太多疫苗会使得孩子的免疫系统超负荷。很多家长推迟或选择性接种疫苗的原因,不是作者的态度。因此选B。