Backgrounder: Key facts about swine flu

　　世界卫生组织25日对在墨西哥造成至少20人死亡的新型猪流感病毒表示“非常担心”，认为这种病毒明显带有转化成流行性病毒的潜在可能。何为猪流感？有何预防措施？相关机构和专家如此回答十大问题。

　　Here are a few basics about the swine flu outbreak in the U.S. and Mexico.

　　What is swine flu?

　　It's flu that occurs in pigs. In rare cases, humans contract swine flu from close contact with pigs. The strain circulating now is cause for concern because it can pass directly from person to person. Like routine human flu, cases of swine flu can range from mild to severe.

　　何谓猪流感？

　　这是猪身上爆发的流感。在很少一些案例中，人类因与猪密切接触而感染猪流感。目前流行的病毒毒株之所以令人担忧，就是它能在人与人之间直接传染。同普通的人流感一样，猪流感病情也有从轻微到严重之分。

　　Is the disease the same in Mexico and the U.S.?

　　The virus appears to be the same. But the disease has caused at least 20 deaths in Mexico, while it has appeared more mild in the 20 confirmed U.S. cases, with no deaths and most patients recovering without needing to be hospitalized. It's unclear why confirmed cases have been more severe in Mexico than in the U.S. A CDC official warned on Sunday that as cases continue to emerge in the U.S., some may prove fatal.

　　墨西哥与美国爆发的同一种猪流感吗？

　　致病的病毒看来是相同的。但墨西哥的猪流感已导致至少20人死亡，而美国已确诊的20例猪流感则要轻微的多，其中并没有死亡病例，大多数患者都在康复之中，无需住院治疗。目前还不清楚为何墨西哥确诊的病例要比美国严重的多。美国疾病控制预防中心(CDC)一位官员周日警告说，随着美国继续发现猪流感病例，其中一些可能会有生命危险。