[(Title)] Europe sees sharp rise in measles: 41,000 cases, 37 deaths.

The World Health Organization says the number of measles cases in Europe jumped sharply during the first six months of 2018 and at least 37 people have died.

世界卫生组织表示，欧洲在2018年头六个月的麻疹病例大幅增加，至少有37人死亡。

The U.N. agency's European office said Monday more than 41,000 measles cases were reported in the region during the first half of the year — more than in all 12-month periods so far this decade.

联合国欧洲办事处周一表示，今年上半年，欧洲地区的麻疹病例超过41,000例，超过近十年中每年全年的总数。

The previous highest annual total was 23,927 cases in 2017. A year earlier, only 5,273 cases were reported.

上一个最高峰是2017年，共有23,927例。一年前，仅报告了5273例。

The agency said half — some 23,000 cases — this year occurred in Ukraine, where an insurgency backed by Russia has been fighting the government for four years in the east in a conflict that has killed over 10,000 people.

该机构表示，今年有一半——大约23,000起病例发生在乌克兰。俄罗斯支持的叛乱活动一直在东部与政府作战，长达四年，造成一万多人死亡。

France, Georgia, Greece, Italy, Russia and Serbia also had more than 1,000 measles infections each so far this year.

今年迄今为止，法国、格鲁吉亚、希腊、意大利、俄罗斯和塞尔维亚的麻疹感染率也超过1,000例。

Measles, among the world's most contagious diseases, is a virus that's spread in the air through coughing or sneezing.

麻疹是世界上最具传染性的疾病之一，是一种通过咳嗽或打喷嚏在空气中传播的病毒。

It can be prevented with a vaccine that's been in use since the 1960s, but health officials say vaccination rates of at least 95 percent are needed to prevent epidemics.

这种疾病可以考疫苗预防，自20世纪60年代以来一直在使用。但卫生官员表示预防流行病至少需要95%的疫苗接种率。

Vaccine skepticism remains high in many parts of Europe after past immunization problems.

在过去的免疫问题之后，欧洲许多地区的疫苗怀疑仍然很高。

Measles typically begins with a high fever and also causes a rash on the face and neck. While most people who get it recover, measles is one of the leading causes of death among young children, according to the WHO.

麻疹通常以高烧开始，还会导致面部和颈部出现皮疹。据世界卫生组织称，虽然大多数人都康复了，但麻疹是幼儿死亡的主要原因之一。

Italy has introduced a new law requiring parents to vaccinate their children against measles and nine other childhood diseases. Romania also passed a similar bill, including hefty fines for parents who didn't vaccinate their children.

意大利出台了一项新法律，要求父母为孩子接种麻疹疫苗和9种儿童疾病的疫苗。罗马尼亚还通过了一项类似的法案，其中包括对那些没有给孩子接种疫苗的父母收取巨额罚款。

The U.N. agency on Monday called for better surveillance of the disease and increased immunization rates to prevent measles from becoming endemic.

周一，联合国机构呼吁加强对这种疾病的监测，提高疫苗接种率，以防止麻疹流行。