台灣接連幾個禮拜爆發禽流感疫情，面對這一波疫情你了解多少? 這一波疫情到底有多嚴重呢? 快來用英語了解發生在你我之間的重要時事!
˙新型禽流感病毒
A strain of *avian influenza *virus identified as H5N3 was detected yesterday for the first time in Taiwan, amid a widening *investigation of the *outbreak hitting *poultry farms across the nation. 在擴大調查國內禽流感爆發的養殖場後，新型的禽流感病毒株H5N3昨天首次在台灣被檢測出來。 * avian influenza 禽流感 = avian flu * virus病毒 * investigation 調查 * outbreak爆發 * poultry 家禽
˙新型病毒株
Since the latest avian flu outbreak was first reported last week, three new *strains, including variants of H5N2 and H5N8, have been discovered. 自從上週首次爆發的禽流感疫情以來，已經陸續發現三種新型病毒株，其中包含H5N2和H5N8兩種變種的病毒株。 * strains 病毒株 *variant 變種、變形 All three newly found strains are highly *pathogenic. 這三種新發現的病毒株具有極高的致病率。 * pathogenic 致病的
˙禽流感傳染途徑以及來源
National Chung Hsing University professor of *veterinary medicine H.K. Shieh (謝快樂) said that as ducks and *geese raised in open fields have been hit the hardest by the outbreaks, he believes the viruses are being *spread by wild birds coming in contact with farm *flocks. 中興大學獸醫學系謝快樂教授指出，因為鴨鵝共處同一個開放式的養殖空間，所以在這波疫情爆發時感染最為嚴重，他同時也相信病毒正經由野生鳥類感染其他家禽。 *veterinary 獸醫學的 *geese鵝 (goose單數) *spread 散佈 *flock（飛禽，牲畜等的）群 He suggested the *recombination that created the new sub-types might have happened in *regions to the north of Taiwan such as *Siberia and then was brought here.他認為新型病毒的基因重組可能是源自與台灣北邊的區域，例如西伯利亞，再經由禽鳥類傳播至台灣。 *recombination 基因重組 *region 地區 *Siberia 西伯利亞
˙未來可能發展的情況
While so far only ducks and geese have been killed by the avian flu virus strains, the outbreak would be deadly for chickens should it come in contact with the largest *domestic poultry group in Taiwan, Shieh said. 謝教授補充，目前只有鴨和鵝感染禽流感致死，未來可能擴大感染雞群，對國內最大的家禽養殖產業產生影響。 *domestic國內的 面對這波疫情其實大家不必驚慌，敬請保持個人良好的衛生習慣，以及避免接觸禽鳥類或出入活禽市場，食用雞、鴨、鵝、蛋類請務必煮熟，確保自身健康，做好萬全準備，就是多一分保障。
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