【我的总结与翻译】

Meningitis is an infection of the tissue that covers the brain and spinal cord. Both bacteria and viruses can cause it. Viral meningitis is the more common form, but bacterial meningitis is more dangerous.

脑膜炎是一种包裹大脑和脊髓的薄膜的感染性疾病。细菌和病毒都可能引发该疾病。病毒性脑膜炎更常见，但细菌性脑膜炎则更危险。

Each year, almost 400,000 children under the age of five die from meningitis caused by a bacterium known as Hib. Millions more suffer hearing loss, brain damage or other disabilities as a result of the disease.

每年，约有40万5岁以下的儿童因一种Hib细菌感染脑膜炎而死亡。更有数百万儿童由此疾病导致的失聪、脑损伤或其它残疾。

Hib, or (Haemophilus) influenzae type b, requires intensive treatment with antibiotics. But most of the children are poor and live in developing countries. Hib vaccines for babies have been available since 1991. But for most of that time, their use was limited to industrial countries, mostly because of cost.

Hib，即b型流行性感冒嗜血杆菌，需要抗生素的强化治疗。但大部分儿童都很穷且生活在发展中国家。自1991年起，就已有了可给婴儿使用Hib疫苗。但在那时候的大多数情况下，这种疫苗的使用只限于工业国，其中最主要的原因是它的价格。

Uganda began widespread child vaccinations against Hib in 2002. Now, a study has found that in areas where cases were counted, the disease rate fell by 85% in the first four years. Then it fell to zero in 2006.

乌干达于2002年开始给儿童广泛接种Hib疫苗。目前，在那些对发病进行统计的地区，已有一项研究发现，患病率在最初的4年就下降了85%，并于2006年降低至0。