2. 冠狀病毒癥狀

　　Coronavirus symptoms

　　The viruses can make people sick, usually with a mild to moderate upper respiratory tract (上呼吸道) illness, similar to a common cold.

　　For those with a weakened immune system, the elderly and the very young, there's a chance the virus could cause a lower, and much more serious, respiratory tract illness like a pneumonia (肺炎) or bronchitis (支氣管炎).

　　There are a handful of human coronaviruses that are known to be deadly (致命的), such as Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) and SARS (Severe acute respiratory syndrome).

　　The Wuhan coronavirus is currently thought to be more mild than SARS and MERS and takes longer to develop symptoms. Patients to date have typically experienced a mild cough for a week followed by shortness of breath (呼吸急促). So far, around 15% to 20% of cases have become severe, requiring, for example, ventilation in the hospital.

　　通常表現為輕中度上呼吸道疾病，癥狀類似于普通感冒。對于免疫力較弱的老年人和兒童，病毒有可能導致更嚴重的下部呼吸道疾病，如肺炎或支氣管炎。

　　有些冠狀病毒是致命的，如中東呼吸綜合征（MERS）和SARS。

　　目前認為，武漢冠狀病毒相較SARS和MERS更為溫和，潛伏時間更長。到目前為止，患者通常在一周內出現輕微咳嗽，隨后出現呼吸急促癥狀。目前，大約15%到20%的病例病情出現惡化情況，需要入院并接受呼吸機治療。

　　3. 傳播途徑

　　How it spreads

　　Viruses can spread from human contact (接觸) with animals.

　　When it comes to human-to-human transmission (傳播，名詞) of the viruses, often it happens when someone comes into contact with an infected person's secretions (分泌物), such as droplets (小水滴，飛沫) in a cough.

　　Depending on how virulent the virus is, a cough, sneeze or handshake could causeexposure (暴露，接觸). The virus can also be transmitted by touching something an infected person has touched and then touching your mouth, nose or eyes.

　　病毒可通過人類與動物的接觸傳播。

　　病毒在人與人之間傳播時，通常發生在接觸到感染者的分泌物時，例如咳嗽時的飛沫。

　　根據病毒的毒力，咳嗽、打噴嚏或握手都可能導致暴露。這種病毒也可以通過觸摸被感染者觸摸過的東西，然后觸摸嘴、鼻子或眼睛來傳播。

　　4. 感染人群

　　Who is affected?

　　MERS, SARS and the Wuhan coronavirus appear to cause more severe disease in older people, though uncertainty remains around the latest outbreak (爆發). Of the cases of Wuhan coronavirus reported so far, none are yet confirmed to be among children. The average age is people 40 or over.

　　盡管最近的武漢冠狀病毒疫情仍不確定，但MERS、SARS和武漢冠狀病毒似乎在老年人中會引起更嚴重的癥狀。在迄今報道的武漢冠狀病毒病例中，尚未證實有兒童感染。感染者平均年齡在40歲以上。

　　5. 冠狀病毒感染的治療

　　Coronavirus treatment

　　There is no specific treatment, but research is underway. Most of the time, symptoms willgo away on their own (自行消失) and experts advise seeking care early. If symptoms feel worse than a standard cold, see your doctor.

　　Doctors can relieve (緩解)  symptoms by prescribing (開處方) a pain or fever medication.

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