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Better safe than sorry
事并稳健，胜过事后遗憾
一朝被蛇咬，十年怕井绳：就在奥运会来临之际，曾经一度在中国泛滥的对病毒的报道，又再次出现萦绕不绝。
在2003年，一种让北京和中国其他地方几尽瘫痪的流行病永远都无法令人忘却。这个月，国营电视台展示了很多照片，显示了肩负重任的医疗官员，还有戴着面具的学校老师，他们正在向任何可能传播病菌的表面喷洒杀毒剂，来抵抗疾病的爆发。而就像2003年那样，中国当局坚决地确保一切情况都在控制之中。
2003年广为谈论的疾病是神秘的非典型性肺炎。结果是，中国当局一直对发生的事情掩盖真相。他们的迷惑使得情况更加糟糕。最终非典传播范围远超出了中国，在世界范围内导致774人死亡。这次的问题是人类肠道病毒71型，一种并不是外来的并且更容易被人理解的病菌，它能导致一种非常危险的手足口疾病。这是一种很平常的儿童疾病，有时候可以致死，但是通常可以被治愈且没有后遗症。
据中国报道在最近的一次以安徽阜阳为中心的爆发中，有30人死亡。到五月七日，中国报道了15，799起病例，相比前一天的12，000起，数量激增。但据官方称，这是因为监视正在改善，而不是因为病毒的传播正在加速。
并没有任何证据显示中央政府在作任何有体系的掩饰。世界卫生组织中国代表汉斯也表示担忧，对于阜阳疾病的爆发异常的集中，还有肺部和神经上出现的症状不同于典型的手足口疾病。但是他也呼吁要用“正确的眼光”去看待这种形势，指出这种疾病在一些国家和地区也时有发生。
的确，中国在去年总共发现了8万起病例和17起死亡。但是今年疾病的爆发带来了不寻常的恐慌，因为它就发生在八月份北京奥运开幕之前的三个月。随着疾病的发生趋向于在酷热的六七月达到顶峰，卫生当局说可能会有更多的病例出现。尽管迹象显示在北京的两个幼儿园出现了新病例，中国卫生部部长毛群安坚信疾病的爆发不会对赛事造成影响。一个忧患的民族和它的来访者们极尽乐观地去相信他。
Once bitten, twice shy: China's past transgressions in reporting viruses come back to haunt it in the run-up to the Olympics
IT IS all too reminiscent of an epidemic that paralysed Beijing and other parts of China in 2003. This month state-run television has been showing pictures of conscientious health officials and mask-wearing schoolteachers fighting an outbreak of disease by spraying disinfectant on every accessible surface. And, as they did in 2003, Chinese authorities are insisting that things are under control.
In 2003 the disease in question was the mysterious Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). As it turned out, the Chinese authorities were lying outright about where things stood. Their obfuscation made things much worse. In the end, SARS spread far beyond China, killing 774 people worldwide. This time the problem is a less exotic and better understood bug, called enterovirus 71 (EV71), which can cause a dangerous form of hand, foot and mouth disease. This is a common childhood illness that sometimes kills but often is cured with no lasting harm.
China has reported 30 deaths in the current outbreak, centred in the town of Fuyang in the central province of Anhui. By May 7th China had reported a total of 15,799 cases. This was a sharp increase from the previous day's tally of 12,000. But officials said this was because surveillance was improving, not because the spread of the virus was accelerating.
There is no evidence of any systematic cover-up by the central government. But local officials took too long to sound the alarm. In Anhui ten doctors handling the outbreak were disciplined for misconduct and—fairly or not—China's poor track record on such matters leads to obvious questions about its openness and trustworthiness. But the World Health Organisation (WHO), which in 2003 struggled mightily with Chinese footdragging on SARS, now sees no indication of a cover-up. The WHO's China representative, Hans Troedsson, expressed concern about the unusual concentration of cases in Anhui, and about the occurrence of pulmonary and neurological symptoms not typically seen with hand, foot and mouth disease. But he also called for “the right perspective” in viewing the situation, pointing out that such outbreaks happen regularly in countries in the region.
Indeed, China last year saw a total of 80,000 cases and 17 deaths. But this year's outbreak has caused unusual nervousness because it comes just three months before the start of the Beijing Olympics in August. As the disease tends to peak in the heat of June and July, health authorities say that more cases are likely. Despite signs of new cases in two Beijing kindergartens, Mao Qun'an of China's health ministry insists the outbreak will have no impact on the games. An anxious nation and its visitors want very much to believe him.
[责编：朱静]
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