Scientists in the USA say they are getting closer to
developing a vaccine that will provide
life-long
protection against any type of influenza. This could be
welcome news for millions of people around the world who go to the doctor every
year to get a flu
jab. Two different research teams have been testing new
drugs on animals and both have had promising results.
Trials
will soon begin on humans to determine if the test vaccine has similar
successes. Flu expert professor John Oxford told the BBC that: "This is
a leap
forward compared to anything done recently. They have good
animal data, not just in mice but in ferrets and monkeys too."
He added that: "It's a very good stepping
stone."
* get close to ~ = ~에
접근하다, 가까워지다/ vaccine = (예방) 백신/ life-long = 평생 동안의, 일생의/ influenza = 유행성 감기/ a
flu jab = 독감 예방 주사/ promising = 조짐이 좋은; 유망한/ trial = 시험[실험]; 재판/ a leap forward
~ = 진보/ ferret = 흰담비/ stepping stone = (어떤 일의)
디딤돌[발판]
The flu virus kills up to half a million
people every year. The problem with finding a vaccine is the ever-changing nature of
the flu virus. It is in a constant state of
mutation. Doctors have to predict which strains of the virus are
likely to cause the most infections and then create an updated version of the
vaccine accordingly. For this reason, the success rate of most flu vaccines is
very low because much of the process involves a lot of guesswork. Scientists say
that vaccines in the U.S. reduced the risk of catching flu by just 23 per cent
last year. The website Inverse.com said the research could, "point to how we can
go about
making vaccines for other viruses that mutate rapidly, like HIV
or the common cold".
* up to ~ = (특정한 수, 정도 등)
까지/ ever-changing = 늘 변화하는, 변화무쌍한/ constant state of ~ = ~의 지속적인 상태/ mutation =
돌연변이 (과정)/ strain = 종류[유형]; 변종/ guesswork = 짐작, 추측/ point to ~ = ~을 가리키다, 암시하다/
go about ~ = ~을 시작하다/ mutate = 돌연변이다 되다; 변형되다
WTS - Scientists close to influenza vaccine.mp3