Doctors made a new vaccine. It protects people from Lassa fever and rabies.

醫生研發了一種新疫苗，可以保護人們免於感染拉沙熱和狂犬病。

Lassa fever and rabies are very dangerous. Many people in Africa get these diseases. Lassa fever comes from rats. Rabies is almost always deadly. These diseases kill many people every year.

拉沙熱和狂犬病非常危險。非洲有許多人患有這些疾病。拉沙熱是由老鼠引起的。狂犬病幾乎總是致命的。這些疾病每年導致許多人死亡。

Scientists tested the new vaccine on 54 adults. The people got two shots. The vaccine was safe. It helped the body fight both viruses.

科學家在 54 名成年人身上測試了這種新疫苗。受試者接種了兩劑。疫苗是安全的，且能幫助身體對抗兩種病毒。

This vaccine is easy to move. It does not need a very cold fridge. This is good for poor areas. Also, the world is getting warmer. This means more people might get Lassa fever in the future.

這種疫苗易於運輸，不需要極低溫的冰箱。這對貧困地區非常有益。此外，全球氣候變暖，意味著未來可能會有更多人感染拉沙熱。

The vaccine works well and is safe. Doctors will continue to study it.

該疫苗效果良好且安全。醫生將會繼續研究。

Clinical trials have shown that a new dual-purpose vaccine is safe and effective at creating an immune response to help prevent Lassa fever and rabies in high-risk regions.

臨床試驗顯示，一款新型雙用途疫苗具有安全性與有效性，能產生免疫反應，以協助預防高風險地區的拉沙熱與狂犬病。

In Western and Sub-Saharan Africa, both rabies and Lassa fever are serious health problems. Lassa fever is a disease spread by rodents that causes severe bleeding; the Africa CDC estimates it causes 300,000 infections and 5,000 deaths every year. However, these numbers may be lower than the reality because of poor monitoring. This disease is especially dangerous for pregnant women in their final trimester, where the death rate is over 80%. At the same time, rabies remains a deadly threat because it is almost always fatal once symptoms appear.

在西非與撒哈拉以南非洲，狂犬病與拉沙熱皆為嚴重的健康問題。拉沙熱是一種由齧齒動物傳播、會導致嚴重出血的疾病；非洲疾控中心估計每年造成 30 萬例感染與 5,000 例死亡。然而，由於監測不足，這些數字可能低於實際情況。這種疾病對於處於妊娠末期的孕婦尤其危險，死亡率超過 80%。與此同時，狂犬病依然是致命的威脅，因為一旦出現症狀，幾乎必然導致死亡。

To fight these two threats, researchers from the University of Maryland developed a bivalent vaccine. A study in Nature Medicine tested 54 healthy adults in the US, who received two doses of the vaccine 28 days apart. The results showed that the vaccine was safe and triggered a strong immune response against both viruses. In contrast, the control group only responded to rabies. The researchers are continuing to monitor the participants for a total of 394 days after vaccination.

為了對抗這兩項威脅，馬里蘭大學的研究人員開發了一款二價疫苗。《自然醫學》的一項研究測試了 54 名美國健康成年人，他們每隔 28 天接種一次疫苗，共兩劑。結果顯示，該疫苗具有安全性，且對兩種病毒均觸發了強烈的免疫反應。相比之下，對照組僅對狂犬病有反應。研究人員將繼續監測參與者，直至接種後總共 394 天。

From a practical side, the vaccine can be freeze-dried, which makes it easier to transport to areas that do not have reliable refrigerators. Furthermore, experts warn that climate change may allow the Lassa virus to spread to new areas. Dean Mark Gladwin emphasized that these environmental changes could put approximately 700 million people at risk by the year 2070.

從實際操作面來看，該疫苗可以冷凍乾燥，使其更容易運送到缺乏可靠冰箱的地區。此外，專家警告氣候變遷可能會使拉沙病毒擴散至新地區。院長 Mark Gladwin 強調，這些環境變化可能會在 2070 年前令約 7 億人面臨風險。

The combined vaccine has shown promising initial results. Further clinical trials will be conducted if the immune responses remain strong over time.

該複合疫苗展現了令人鼓舞的初步結果。如果免疫反應隨時間維持強勁，將會進行進一步的臨床試驗。

Clinical trials have demonstrated the safety and immunogenicity of a dual-purpose vaccine designed to mitigate the impact of Lassa fever and rabies in high-burden regions.

臨床試驗已證明一種雙用途疫苗的安全性與免疫原性，該疫苗旨在減輕高負擔地區拉沙熱與狂犬病的影響。

The epidemiological landscape of Western and Sub-Saharan Africa is characterized by a significant prevalence of both rabies and Lassa fever. The latter, a rodent-borne viral hemorrhagic disease, is estimated by the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to cause 300,000 infections and 5,000 fatalities annually, though these figures are posited to be underestimates due to surveillance deficits. Particular morbidity is noted in late-term pregnancies, where mortality rates exceed 80%. Concurrently, rabies remains a critical threat, characterized by near-universal fatality upon the onset of clinical symptoms.

西非與撒哈拉以南非洲的流行病學情況以狂犬病與拉沙熱的高盛行率為特徵。後者是一種由齧齒動物傳播的病毒性出血熱，根據非洲疾病控制與預防中心的估計，每年造成 30 萬例感染與 5,000 例死亡，但由於監測不足，這些數據被認為是被低估了。在孕晚期的發病率尤其顯著，死亡率超過 80%。同時，狂犬病仍是一個關鍵威脅，其特點是臨床症狀出現後幾乎必然導致死亡。

To address these concurrent threats, researchers from the University of Maryland School of Medicine's Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health developed a bivalent vaccine. A study published in Nature Medicine involved 54 healthy adult participants in the United States, who were administered two doses of the candidate vaccine at 28-day intervals. The results indicated that the vaccine was safe, with no serious adverse reactions reported, and successfully induced immune responses against both target viruses, whereas the control group exhibited responses only to rabies. The trial is currently ongoing, with a total observation period of 394 days post-vaccination.

為了應對這些同時存在的威脅，馬里蘭大學醫學院疫苗開發與全球健康中心的研究人員開發了一種二價疫苗。一篇發表在《自然醫學》的研究涉及 54 名美國健康成年參與者，他們每隔 28 天接種一次候選疫苗，共兩劑。結果顯示該疫苗具有安全性，未報告嚴重不良反應，並成功誘導出針對兩種目標病毒的免疫反應，而對照組僅對狂犬病產生反應。該試驗目前仍在進行中，接種後的總觀察期為 394 天。

From a logistical perspective, the vaccine's capacity for lyophilization facilitates distribution in environments lacking robust cold-chain infrastructure. Furthermore, institutional projections suggest that climatic shifts may expand the ecological suitability for Lassa virus transmission. Dean Mark Gladwin has asserted that such environmental changes could increase the global population at risk to approximately 700 million, with a substantial increase in affected African nations by 2070.

從物流角度來看，該疫苗的冷凍乾燥能力有助於在缺乏強大冷鏈基礎設施的環境中進行分發。此外，機構預測顯示，氣候變遷可能會擴大拉沙病毒傳播的生態適用範圍。院長 Mark Gladwin 主張，此類環境變化可能會將全球風險人口增加至約 7 億，到 2070 年，受影響的非洲國家將大幅增加。

The dual vaccine has demonstrated initial safety and efficacy, with further clinical trials contingent upon the maintenance of elevated immune responses.

該雙疫苗已證明初步的安全性與有效性，進一步的臨床試驗將取決於免疫反應能否維持在高水平。