原文: Swine Flu Parties Are a Bad Idea, Say Experts

Filed under: Health & safety, In the news

Here's one from the "No Kidding" file: Don't intentionally let your family get infected with the swine flu. Seems like common sense, right? But while most of the country spent the last few weeks stocking up on hand sanitizer and face masks, a few brave souls were contemplating the benefits of a swine flu party.

The idea isn't a new one. Even back in the 1950s, mothers used to bring their kids to chickenpox parties, letting their kids -- for once -- share space and spoons with an infected friend. Knowing that chickenpox is less severe for children than adults, moms wanted to get the infection over with while kids were still young. Chickenpox parties are still around today -- though they're controversial -- among parents who are wary of the chickenpox vaccine.

The same theory is circulating about the swine flu: Some people think that if they get the infection now, while it causes an apparently mild case of influenza, then they'll have immunity against a new, more serious strain if it returns in the fall. But here's the thing: H1N1 is not chickenpox. Health experts want people to understand that not only can the current version of swine flu cause serious illness, but that immunity theory might not hold water if the virus changes.

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译文: 专家提醒：开猪流感派对是不明智的

所属分类： 安全与健康, 新闻

 

拿出“棒棒糖”来开派对，现在还为时过早。专家指出，举办猪流感派对是不明智的。（上图来源：Flickr图像分享中心红果露摄影） 

在《真话》专栏中有这么一句话，别在不经意间就让你的家人染上猪流感。这应该是常识，但是在前几个星期，正当大部分的国家正手执消毒剂脸带面具全方位进行预防猪流感工作的时候，一些“勇敢”的人正享受着开猪流感派对的喜悦。

这种做法并不新奇，早在二十世纪五十年代，妇女们经常带她们的孩子们去开“水痘派对”，让她们的孩子有一次机会与那些患病的小孩同在一起相处并共用餐具。因为小孩的水痘感染率比成人的低，母亲希望小孩能在他们很小的时候就感染上水痘并产生免疫。水痘派对在今天依然有市场——虽然她们的做法倍受争议。特别是在那些希望种水痘疫苗来预防的父母最不接受这种做法 

人们对猪流感也持有同样的观点，他们认为假如他们现在被感染猪流感，轻微的感冒病毒会刺激人体产生新的抗体。不然病毒进一步进化，那人体所受的威胁会更大。但需要认识到一点：猪流感病毒（H1N1）不是水痘。健康专家需要人们认识到不仅现存的猪流感病毒可以引起十分严重的疾病，而且一旦病毒出现变种，单纯靠免疫抵抗的理论是站不住脚的。