Telephone Hotline in Pakistan Predicts Dengue Outbreaks

巴基斯坦热线电话预报登革热疫情

A telephone helpline is aiding public health officials in Pakistan to predict dengue fever outbreaks.

在巴基斯坦，电话热线用来帮助公共卫生官员来预报登革热。

Dengue is a disease carried by mosquitoes. It affects people who live in hot and humid climates of the world, according to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.

登革热是由蚊子携带的。根据在明尼苏达州罗彻斯特报道，它主要影响居住在湿热气候地区的人们。

Dengue causes sudden high fever, headaches and severe joint and muscle pain. There is no cure or vaccine for dengue fever.

登革热引起高热，头痛混合肌肉痛。没有治疗和预防登革热高热的方法。

An estimated 400,000 people are infected with dengue each year. Worldwide, an estimated 2.5 billion people are at risk of getting the disease.

每年预计有四十万人感染登革热。世界范围，预计25亿是高危人群。

Pakistan is making some progress in controlling dengue.

巴基斯坦在控制登革热上取得了一些进展。

Researchers have created a computer process that uses helpline reports from the public.

研究人员已经研究出了电脑程序用来使热线报道者远离公共场合。

The information is used to help forecast the number of cases. Public health officials then can take measures to limit the effects of dengue on a community. For example, public health workers can get rid of high populations of mosquitoes.

此信息是用来帮助预测登革热人数。公共卫生官员可以采取措施去限制登革热在人群中的影响。例如，公共卫生工作者可以远离蚊群。

Lakshmi Subramanian is a teacher of mathematical sciences at New York University. He said the computer process is accurate.

拉克希米是一名纽约大学数理科学教师。他表示电脑程序是正确的方法。

He said, “The computer is actually giving you the exact range. And that is more powerful than, ’Oh, I think an outbreak is going to happen or an outbreak is not going to happen.’”

他表示：计算机实际上能够给你正确的范围。并且对于“哦，我认为疾病即将发生，或者疾病没有发生”这句话来说，计算机更加有力。

He added that an outbreak can be traced to neighborhoods and blocks where they started.

他补充说疾病是可以在开始的时候被追踪和封锁的。

The helpline has been in operation for about five years.

热线电话已经持续将近5年了。

The Pakistani province of Punjab was hit by a severe outbreak of dengue in 2011. More than 21,000 people were infected and 350 people died.

在2011年旁遮普被登革热袭击了数次。超过21000人感染，350人死亡。

Hospitals in Punjab were unprepared and crowded with patients.

在旁遮普的医院没有做好准备并且充斥着大量病患。

Since then, researchers in the United States and Pakistan developed the helpline. Almost 300,000 people have called the service with questions about the symptoms of dengue. They also report areas where mosquitoes are living.

从那时开始，在美国和巴基斯坦的研究人员开发了热线程序。超过30万的已经询问过关于登革热的问题。他们也报道蚊群所在地。

Experts say the system is not costly. They say that in 2013 the number of dengue cases in the city of Lahore fell to 1,600 using information from the helpline and disease prevention efforts.

专家表示这个系统话费不大。他们表示在2013年，拉合尔通过使用热线信息使登革热疾病数量降低到1600名。

I’m Anna Matteo.

安娜报道