Unvaccinated Pennsylvania woman died of measles complications, coroner says
Unvaccinated Pennsylvania woman died of measles complications, coroner says
宾夕法尼亚州一名未接种疫苗的女性死于麻疹并发症，验尸官称
A 40-year-old woman in Jefferson County, Pennsylvania has died of complications from measles, according to the county’s coroner. It marks the third vaccine-preventable, measles-linked death in the US this year. All three have occurred in Pennsylvania, which is experiencing an explosive outbreak that has caused over 670 cases and 124 hospitalizations across 37 counties. Prior to these deaths, Pennsylvania had not reported a measles death in 35 years. 据宾夕法尼亚州杰斐逊县验尸官称，该县一名40岁女性因麻疹并发症去世。这是今年美国发生的第三起与麻疹相关的、本可通过疫苗预防的死亡事件。这三起死亡病例均发生在宾夕法尼亚州，该州目前正经历一场爆发性疫情，已导致全州37个县出现超过670例病例和124例住院治疗。在此次死亡事件发生前，宾夕法尼亚州已有35年未报告过麻疹死亡病例。
In a news release dated September 12, Jefferson County Coroner Greg Furlong said the death in the woman was “a heartbreaking loss for the family and an unfortunate reminder that measles can be a serious and potentially life-threatening disease.” The county’s chief deputy coroner, Jason Stiver, added that “this tragedy highlights that measles should not be taken lightly.” “Many people associate measles with a childhood illness, but it can lead to severe complications in individuals of any age,” Stiver said. “Measles is highly contagious and can result in serious respiratory illness, hospitalization, and in rare cases like this, death.” 在9月12日发布的新闻稿中，杰斐逊县验尸官格雷格·弗隆（Greg Furlong）表示，这名女性的离世“对家庭来说是令人心碎的损失，也令人遗憾地提醒人们，麻疹可能是一种严重且可能危及生命的疾病。”该县首席副验尸官杰森·斯蒂弗（Jason Stiver）补充道：“这场悲剧凸显了麻疹不容小觑。”斯蒂弗说：“许多人将麻疹与儿童疾病联系在一起，但它可能导致任何年龄段的人出现严重并发症。麻疹具有高度传染性，可能导致严重的呼吸系统疾病、住院治疗，并在像这样罕见的情况下导致死亡。”
Preliminary death certificate
初步死亡证明
While the news release stated that no additional information about the case would be provided, the New York Times obtained a preliminary death certificate. It indicated the woman had several chronic medical conditions, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and she required supplemental oxygen at all times. Her health status made her vulnerable to complications from measles. The death certificate listed the immediate cause of death as respiratory failure “due to suspected measles.” 尽管新闻稿称不会提供有关此案的更多信息，《纽约时报》获得了一份初步死亡证明。证明显示，该女子患有多种慢性疾病，包括慢性阻塞性肺病（COPD），并且需要全天候吸氧。她的健康状况使其更容易受到麻疹并发症的影响。死亡证明将直接死因列为“疑似麻疹导致的”呼吸衰竭。
Furlong told the Times that the woman’s measles case had yet to be confirmed by testing, but that she was unvaccinated and known to have been exposed to someone with measles. At the time of her death, she had many symptoms of measles, including the tell-tale rash, which often begins as red spots on the head or face, and spreads down the body. 弗隆告诉《纽约时报》，该女子的麻疹病例尚未通过检测确认，但她未接种疫苗，且已知曾接触过麻疹患者。在她去世时，她出现了许多麻疹症状，包括典型的皮疹，这种皮疹通常先在头部或面部出现红斑，然后蔓延至全身。
The news release noted that the coroner’s office is working with the state health department, which has not yet added the death to the state’s official outbreak tally. The health department provided a statement to the Washington Post saying that it was aware of the case. “We are in touch with the coroner and appreciate his commitment to keeping the public informed,” the statement read. “The Department of Health is conducting a thorough review of this case and will provide the public with updated information when it becomes available.” 新闻稿指出，验尸官办公室正在与州卫生部门合作，而该部门尚未将此死亡病例计入州官方疫情统计数据。卫生部门向《华盛顿邮报》发表声明称，他们已知悉此案。声明写道：“我们正与验尸官保持联系，并感谢他致力于让公众知情。卫生部正在对该病例进行彻底审查，并将在有最新信息时向公众通报。”
Two previous deaths in babies
此前两名婴儿死亡病例
The woman’s measles-linked death follows reports of two others from the state’s health department. Both occurred in babies in Lancaster County. Lancaster County coroner Stephen Diamantoni, confirmed one of the deaths was in a 6-week-old baby girl who had a severe genetic condition. In that case, Diamantoni, a Republican elected coroner in 2007, attributed the death directly to measles. 在这名女性因麻疹相关并发症去世之前，州卫生部门已报告了另外两起死亡病例。两起病例均发生在兰开斯特县的婴儿身上。兰开斯特县验尸官斯蒂芬·迪亚曼托尼（Stephen Diamantoni）证实，其中一名死者是一名患有严重遗传疾病的6周大女婴。在那起案件中，2007年当选验尸官的共和党人迪亚曼托尼将死因直接归咎于麻疹。
The other death was in a newborn boy, which the state counts as a measles-associated death under pre-determined case reporting guidelines. Diamantoni has publicly disputed that the death was due to measles, saying the baby was infected with measles but died of a ruptured spleen—which is a potential complication of measles. Overall, spleen ruptures are extremely rare in newborns and Diamantoni has provided no other explanation for the organ’s failure. At the time of birth, the baby’s unvaccinated mother was severely ill with measles. The mother, the father, and their midwife all believed measles was the cause of the baby’s death. 另一名死者是一名新生男婴，根据预设的病例报告指南，州政府将其计为麻疹相关死亡。迪亚曼托尼公开质疑该死因是否为麻疹，称婴儿虽然感染了麻疹，但死于脾脏破裂——这属于麻疹的潜在并发症。总体而言，新生儿脾脏破裂极为罕见，迪亚曼托尼并未对该器官衰竭提供其他解释。婴儿出生时，其未接种疫苗的母亲正患有严重的麻疹。婴儿的父母及其助产士均认为麻疹是导致婴儿死亡的原因。
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention—which is under the control of anti-vaccine activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the current US health secretary—is not counting either of the two infant deaths in their measles data reporting. The agency cites a new requirement for reporting measles death that did not exist prior to events in Pennsylvania. The US Department of Health and Human Services did not respond earlier this month when Ars Technica inquired about the new rule. 美国疾病控制与预防中心（CDC）——目前由反疫苗活动家、现任美国卫生部长小罗伯特·F·肯尼迪（Robert F. Kennedy Jr.）领导——并未在其麻疹数据报告中计入这两起婴儿死亡病例。该机构援引了一项在宾夕法尼亚州事件发生前并不存在的新麻疹死亡报告要求。本月早些时候，当Ars Technica就这一新规定进行询问时，美国卫生与公众服务部未予置评。
Kennedy has publicly disputed the babies’ measles-linked deaths and got into a heated online exchange about them with Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro. In that exchange, Kennedy spread misinformation about the measles vaccine and claimed Shapiro “fabricated” the deaths. 肯尼迪曾公开质疑这些婴儿的麻疹相关死亡，并因此与宾夕法尼亚州州长乔什·夏皮罗（Josh Shapiro）在网上发生了激烈的争论。在争论中，肯尼迪散布了关于麻疹疫苗的虚假信息，并声称夏皮罗“捏造”了这些死亡事件。