又中又英 | Jittery world | 褚簡寧

　　A jittery world is on edge as it watches an Ebola outbreak quickly spread in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda. Many countries have started screening arrivals, particularly those from Congo and Uganda. Some countries are banning foreigners who have visited the two affected African nations. The word "jittery" means nervous or worried. A jittery world means a nervous or fearful world. The expression "on edge" means nervous or not relaxed. But should we be as jittery about the Ebola outbreak as we were about the Covid pandemic?

　　The World Health Organization has determined that the Ebola outbreak is a public health emergency of international concern. This determination has made many people feel jumpy. To feel jumpy means to feel nervous or worried. There is no vaccine for this current strain of Ebola. It is therefore natural for some people to feel jumpy. The current Ebola outbreak has already infected hundreds of people and killed almost 200. I don’t feel too jumpy because Ebola is very different from Covid. Ebola is not a new disease. There have been outbreaks before.

　　Covid was an unknown disease when it broke out and quickly became a global pandemic. It is highly contagious and spreads through the air when infected people cough or sneeze. Ebola cannot spread through the air. It spreads through direct contact with the body fluids, such as blood or saliva, of infected people. I am not saying people should brush off the risks of Ebola. To brush off means to ignore. Ebola is a killer disease, but it spreads in a different way from Covid.

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　　焦慮的世界（jittery world）看着伊波拉病毒於剛果民主共和國與烏干達爆發時，不免緊張不安（on edge）。許多國家已開始篩查入境旅客，尤其是從剛果和烏干達抵埗的。一些國家亦正禁止到訪過這兩個受影響的非洲國家的外國人入境。Jittery即緊張焦慮的，a jittery world就是指一個緊張或可怕的世界。習語on edge是指精神繃緊或坐立難安的。但我們對於這次伊波拉病毒爆發，是否要像新冠肺炎大疫症那時候般惴惴不安（jittery）呢？

　　世界衞生組織已確定這場伊波拉病毒爆發，是國際關注的公共衞生緊急事件。這個確定已令許多人 feel jumpy－－to feel jumpy是指感到緊張、神經兮兮。現時並無針對這次的伊波拉病毒株的疫苗，因此很自然地會令一些人感到不安（feel jumpy）。現時這一波伊波拉病毒爆發，已經感染了數以百計的人，並殺死了差不多200人。我並沒有感到那麼緊張不安（feel too jumpy），因為伊波拉跟新冠肺炎非常不同，伊波拉並非新病症，從前也曾爆發過好幾次。

　　新冠肺炎疫症爆發的時候卻是一種未知的疾病，瞬間成為全球世紀大疫症。它具有高度傳染性，並在受感染人士咳嗽或打噴嚏時經由空氣傳播。伊波拉不能經空氣傳播，它是經由直接接觸受感染人士的血液或口水等體液傳播的。我並不是說人們應該brush off伊波拉病毒的風險。To brush off是指忽視或毫不搭理。伊波拉病毒是致命的疾病，只是它與新冠肺炎的傳播方式不一樣。

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Michael Chugani褚簡寧
中譯：七刻