incubation period 潛伏期

(in medicine, the time between infection and the appearance of signs of disease)

Examples: 1) South Korea officials believe the disease has peaked and it would begin easing in coming days. Their assessment is based on a view that the virus’ maximum two-week incubation period for those infected at a Seoul hospital considered as the main source of the outbreak ended Friday.

南韓官員相信此傳染病已經達到高峰,之後幾天情況會減緩.這是因為中東呼吸道感染症候群的潛伏期最長兩周,而首爾最初遭到感染的病人,也是主要的傳染源,到星期五為止(6/19)就是兩周.

2) As of March 2015, almost 4,000 children in West Africa under 16 have been affected by Ebola in the current epidemic. As well as the higher risk of death in younger children, scientists found the incubation period – the time between becoming infected and showing symptoms – was 6.9 days in children under a year, compared with 9.8 days in children aged 10 to 15.

到2015年三月為止,這次的伊波拉病瘟疫造成將近四千名西非16歲以下的兒童感染.科學家發現,兒童感染伊波拉不但死亡的機率更高,潛伏期—從染病開始到出現症狀—也比較短. 一歲以下潛伏期是平均6.9天,十歲到十五歲之間則是10天到12天.

 

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