Most people today probably don’t know what this is:
如今，大多数人可能不知道这是什么：
And that’s a good thing because it shows how much progress the world has made against polio, a terrible and now largely forgotten disease.
这是个好消息，因为这表明了世界在抗击脊髓灰质炎方面已取得了巨大的进展，这是一种可怕的、但现在已基本被遗忘了的疾病。
This metal tank is an iron lung, a mechanical respirator that saved the lives of thousands of polio victims.
这个金属舱是一个铁肺，一个拯救了不计其数脊髓灰质炎患者生命的机械呼吸器。
Polio attacks the body’s nervous system, crippling patients. In the worst cases, the disease paralyzes their respiratory muscles and makes it difficult for them to breathe, sometimes resulting in death. 
脊髓灰质炎病毒会攻击人体的神经系统，使患者陷入瘫痪。在最严重的情况下，这种疾病会麻痹他们的呼吸道肌肉，使他们难以呼吸，有时会导致死亡。
Using changes in air pressure, the iron lung pulls air in and out of a patient’s lungs, allowing them to breathe and stay alive.
通过改变气压，铁肺将空气抽入和压出患者的肺部，使其得以呼吸，从而维持生命。
During the height of the polio epidemic in the U.S. in the 1940s and 1950s, rows of iron lungs filled hospital wards to treat thousands of polio patients, most of them children.
20世纪四五十年代，在美国脊髓灰质炎流行的高峰期，医院的病房挤满了一排排的铁肺，用来为成千上万的脊髓灰质炎患者提供治疗，其中大多数是儿童。
The reason we don’t see iron lungs anymore is because of polio vaccines, which were first developed in the 1950s. The vaccines were so effective in protecting people from polio that in 1988, the world decided to eradicate the disease. Since then, wild polio cases have dropped by more than 99.9 percent—from more than 350,000 a year in 125 countries to fewer than 200 cases last year in just two countries—Afghanistan and Pakistan. Thanks to this eradication effort, millions of people are walking today who would have otherwise been paralyzed.
如今，脊髓灰质炎疫苗让铁肺销声匿迹，该疫苗于20世纪50年代开始研发。由于疫苗在预防脊髓灰质炎方面成效显著，1988年，全世界下定决心根除这一疾病。自那时起，野生型脊髓灰质炎病例已经下降了99.9%以上——从每年125个国家超过35万例，到去年的仅有两个国家（阿富汗和巴基斯坦）出现不到200例。得益于根除疾病的努力，数百万曾经可能陷入瘫痪的人如今可以自由行走。
Our foundation joined the polio fight almost 15 years ago. And in all that time, I cannot think of a more important moment than right now.
近15年前，我们的基金会加入了抗击脊髓灰质炎的斗争。而当前无疑是这15年里最为重要的时刻。
During the pandemic, the world has been reminded of what a precious resource the global polio program is. Thousands of polio workers shifted their focus to help contain the spread of COVID-19 by teaching communities how to stay safe, distributing soap and hand sanitizer, and supporting disease surveillance and contact tracing. Polio Emergency Operation Centers—local, field-based offices that work to urgently stop the spread of polio and have also tackled other diseases, including Ebola—quickly pivoted to guide the response to COVID-19. And the Global Polio Laboratory Network, which consists of 145 labs worldwide, has stepped in to support COVID-19 surveillance efforts.
在新冠病毒大流行期间，全世界都再次意识到“全球脊髓灰质炎项目”是一项多么宝贵的资源。数以万计的脊髓灰质炎工作者将工作重点转向帮助遏制新冠病毒的传播，他们向社区传授保持安全的方法、分发肥皂和手消毒液、并为疾病监测和接触者追踪提供支持。“脊髓灰质炎应急指挥中心” （各地的现场办事机构，其职责是紧急阻止脊髓灰质炎的传播，并应对包括埃博拉在内的其他疾病）将工作重点迅速转向指导新冠肺炎疫情的应对。由全球145个实验室组成的“全球脊髓灰质炎实验室网络”已经参与和支持新冠肺炎的监测工作。
We have what it takes to finally wipe polio off the face of the earth. The Global Polio Eradication Initiative, a public-private partnership that includes our foundation, has proven it can meet local challenges to eliminate polio in country after country. The initiative continues to focus on adopting new tools and approaches to make vaccination campaigns more effective so every child can be protected. And, most importantly, we have thousands of dedicated polio workers committed to this case.
我们有能力最终将脊髓灰质炎从地球上彻底消灭。“全球根除脊髓灰质炎倡议”是一个包括我们基金会在内的公私合作伙伴关系。该倡议已经证明，它能够应对当地挑战，在一个又一个国家根除脊髓灰质炎。该倡议将继续专注于采用新的工具和方法，使疫苗接种行动更加高效，从而使每个孩子都能得到保护。而且，最重要的是，我们有大量兢兢业业致力于此的脊髓灰质炎工作者。
At the same time, to be blunt, we are at risk of losing the gains we have fought so hard for.
与此同时，坦率地说，我们存在失去过去辛苦奋斗所得的风险。
We still aren’t reaching areas of Afghanistan and Pakistan. Outbreaks of other forms of polio continue to crop up in under-immunized communities across Africa and parts of Asia. And the pandemic continues to interrupt polio campaigns and routine immunizations.
我们仍然未能在阿富汗和巴基斯坦根除脊髓灰质炎。在非洲以及亚洲部分地区，其他形式的脊髓灰质炎继续在免疫率低下的社区暴发。而当下的这场大流行持续干扰着根除脊髓灰质炎运动和常规免疫接种。
To address these challenges, the Global Polio Eradication Initiative has adjusted its strategy, including by strengthening its integration with other health programs, improving vaccination coverage and the overall health of local communities. The knowledge, skills, and infrastructure built to end polio and all the suffering it causes will also be used for detecting and responding to other major health emergencies. That’s a win-win investment.
为应对这些挑战，“全球根除脊髓灰质炎倡议”已经调整了其战略，包括加强与其他卫生项目的融合、提高疫苗接种率以及改善当地社区的整体健康状况等。为终结脊髓灰质炎及由其造成的一切痛苦而获得的知识、技能及建设的基础设施，也将被用于检测和应对其他重大卫生紧急事件。这是一项双赢的投资。
But it will need continued support and resources, including from historical champions like the United States, United Kingdom, and United Arab Emirates, to deliver on these promises.
但它将需要来自像美国、英国和阿联酋等传统捐助国的持续支持和资源，从而兑现已经做出的承诺。
The iron lung was one of the greatest tools to fight against one of the worst outcomes of polio.
铁肺曾是对抗脊髓灰质炎最严重后果的最伟大的工具。
Today, it’s the iron will of the thousands of polio workers and their supporters who are committed to finishing the job.
如今，它象征着数千脊髓灰质炎工作者及其支持者的钢铁意志，他们正致力于完成这项工作。
Thanks to the commitment of Rotary and other partners, as well as the dedicated political leadership of polio-affected countries, I’m confident that we can create a world where no child will ever be paralyzed by polio again.
由于国际扶轮社和其他合作伙伴的付出，以及受脊髓灰质炎影响国家专注的政治领导，我相信我们可以创造一个不再有孩子因脊髓灰质炎而瘫痪的世界。
继续阅读
阅读原文