200年前疾病又卷土重来，我们防得住吗

Data released by the UK National Health Service last year on patient admissions revealed an alarming rise in various nutritional and communicable diseases in the past decade.

英国国家卫生署去年公布的入院患者的数据显示，各种各样的营养性疾病和传染性疾病在过去十年来以惊人的速度增长着。

The infectious disease known as scarlet fever famously reached pandemic proportions in the 19th century, striking down the young and the weak across the Western world.

被称为红热病的传染病在20世纪盛行，击溃了当时西方国家的幼儿们和体弱者。

Recent years have seen a return of the bacterial infection, reaching numbers not seen since the 1960s, with admissions for a primary diagnosis more than doubling between 2010/11 and 2017/18, from 429 to more than 1,300.

近些年来，细菌感染卷土重来，受害者达到了自1960s以来从所未见的最高值，初步确诊者的人数从429跃升至1300多人，从2011年到2017年期间的感染人数翻了两倍不止。

Just as shocking was the 59 percent rise in whooping cough, a disease that was all but wiped out more than half a century ago by comprehensive immunisation programs.

同样令人震惊的是百日咳的发病率上升了59%，而百日咳是一种半个世纪前的综合免疫接种计划没能彻底消灭的疾病。

At the same time, entries for gout jumped by just over a third – a disease associated with "ease and comfort" in Victorian London, now more likely to be linked with deprivation and lack of work.

同时，罹患痛风的人升高了大约1/3，这个病在维多利亚时期的伦敦一度被视作“富贵病”，现在更倾向于认为与缺乏锻炼有关。

The report didn't comment on potential factors influencing the numbers, but many – including members of the opposing political party – are laying the blame squarely at the feet of government cost-cutting.

这个报告没有谈到可能影响患病数量的原因，但是很多人，包括在野党的成员，归咎于政府一味缩减医疗健康成本预算。

According to an analysis carried out by the independent health charity King's Fund, successive cuts to health budgets – especially in fields of sexual health and addiction – could be expected to hit roughly £800 million (over US$1 billion) by 2021.

根据独立健康慈善金基金的分析，到2021年，医疗预算将持续缩减大概8亿欧元（超过10亿美金），尤其是在性健康和性传染病方面的缩减。

As impressive as those saving gains might look now, they could easily be swallowed as rising rates of illness place a greater burden on society.

尽管这笔节省下来的钱目前看来相当可观，但其实远不够填补随之而来的不断升高的患病率所增加的社会负担的窟窿。