又中又英 | Jittery world | 褚简宁

　　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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　　焦虑的世界（jittery world）看着伊波拉病毒于刚果民主共和国与乌干达爆发时，不免紧张不安（on edge）。许多国家已开始筛查入境旅客，尤其是从刚果和乌干达抵埗的。一些国家亦正禁止到访过这两个受影响的非洲国家的外国人入境。Jittery即紧张焦虑的，a jittery world就是指一个紧张或可怕的世界。习语on edge是指精神绷紧或坐立难安的。但我们对于这次伊波拉病毒爆发，是否要像新冠肺炎大疫症那时候般惴惴不安（jittery）呢？

　　世界衞生组织已确定这场伊波拉病毒爆发，是国际关注的公共衞生紧急事件。这个确定已令许多人 feel jumpy－－to feel jumpy是指感到紧张、神经兮兮。现时并无针对这次的伊波拉病毒株的疫苗，因此很自然地会令一些人感到不安（feel jumpy）。现时这一波伊波拉病毒爆发，已经感染了数以百计的人，并杀死了差不多200人。我并没有感到那么紧张不安（feel too jumpy），因为伊波拉跟新冠肺炎非常不同，伊波拉并非新病症，从前也曾爆发过好几次。

　　新冠肺炎疫症爆发的时候却是一种未知的疾病，瞬间成为全球世纪大疫症。它具有高度传染性，并在受感染人士咳嗽或打喷嚏时经由空气传播。伊波拉不能经空气传播，它是经由直接接触受感染人士的血液或口水等体液传播的。我并不是说人们应该brush off伊波拉病毒的风险。To brush off是指忽视或毫不搭理。伊波拉病毒是致命的疾病，只是它与新冠肺炎的传播方式不一样。

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Michael Chugani褚简宁
中译：七刻