Hi, and welcome back to another episode of News Bites.

I'm Jacob Ingram.

And I'm Nancy Sun.

Coming up today: a dangerous virus in Taipei, and NASA delays a rocket launch.

And for News Flash, the word 'mission'.

Stay tuned to learn more!
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台北通報今年首例漢他病毒病例
Taipei Confirms First Hantavirus Case of the Year

This story is about a virus that hurt a man in Taipei recently.

But before we jump in, let's recap what viruses are.

Virus are tiny, tiny germs (很小的病菌).

In fact, they are so small you can't see them without special equipment.

They can't survive long on their own.
病毒無法獨自存活太久。

To stay alive, they need to enter a living host (宿主)-like a human, an
animal, or even a plant.

Once they are inside, they make copies of themselves and then spread to
others.

Many viruses are zoonotic (人畜共通傳染病).

This means they live in animals but can spread to humans.

This happened to a 70-year-old man in Taipei.

He got a dangerous virus called Hantavirus (漢他病毒), and sadly, died as a
result.

Health workers discovered rodent activity (鼠類活動) near his home.

They found some mice that had antibodies (抗體) for Hantavirus.

When our bodies get a virus, our bodies produce antibodies to fight it.

Antibodies can also show if a person or animal is or had been infected.

Experts say people can get Hantavirus by breathing in or touching dust and
objects contaminated with rodent waste.
專家說，人類假如吸入或是接觸被嚙齒類動物排泄物或是唾液汙染的灰塵和物體，就可能被感染。

People can also get it through the bite of an infected animal.
假如被動物咬傷，也有可能感染漢他病毒。

The incubation period (潛伏期) is the time from when you get a virus to the
time you start feeling sick.

It can differ for each type of virus.

For Hantavirus, the time can be as long as two months.

This means you can carry the virus for that long and not realize you have it.

Health experts say early symptoms (早期症狀) include a persistent fever
(持續發燒), headache, or vomiting (嘔吐).

Hantavirus is can lead to serious kidney problems (腎臟問題) ... or cause
multi-organ failure (多種器官衰竭).

The Centers for Disease Control (疾管署) says this is the only case this year
so far.

But it's still important to be careful, and prevent infection (預防感染).

Things you can do include sealing entry points (封堵入口), like holes in
walls and storing food in strong containers.

You should also clean up cluttered [雜亂的] spaces where mice like to hide.

In other words, keep your environment clean, and rodents should stay away.
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美國太空總署 延後登陸月球
NASA Delays Moon Launch

America's top space agency has announced a delay (延後) to its long-awaited
moon mission with astronauts.

The launch will now happen no earlier than March.

The delay was caused by hydrogen fuel leaks (氫燃料外洩).

These leeks were discovered during a major test at Kennedy Space Center
(甘迺迪太空中心) in the United States.

The test was a full 'dress rehearsal'.

This means NASA practiced the entire launch process before the real mission.

這次測試是一次完整的演練，也就是說，太空總署在執行任務前,先將整個發射程序演練了一遍。

During the rehearsal, engineers (工程師) found hydrogen leaking from the
giant Space Launch System (太空發射系統) rocket.

This type of leak is not new.

A similar problem delayed the rocket's first test flight several years ago.

Before this latest issue, NASA hoped to launch as soon as early February.

Instead, the agency will conduct another fueling test (加油測試) before
choosing a new launch date.

The mission will send four astronauts-three from the United States and one
from Canada-on a 10-day lunar fly-around (繞月飛行).

They will not land.

Instead, they will test life-support systems (生命維持系統) and other
important equipment for future lunar missions.

NASA said safety remains the top priority.
安全優先。

It will launch only when everything is fully ready.

NASA last sent astronauts to the moon in 1972.

This upcoming mission is part of NASA's larger Artemis program (阿提米絲計畫).

Through the Artemis program, the agency hopes to return humans to the lunar
surface.

They hope to explore new regions such as the moon's South Pole (南極), and
eventually stay there longer.

Space travel is difficult.

But each setback (挫折) helps bring humans one step closer to the moon again.
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So in today's News Bites,

Taipei has reported its first Hantavirus case of the year.

The virus can spread through contact with infected rodent waste or bites.

Keeping homes clean and blocking rodent entry can help prevent infection.
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And,

NASA has delayed its astronaut moon mission until at least March.

The delay was caused by hydrogen fuel leaks found during a launch test.

Engineers will run another fueling test before choosing a new launch date.

This mission is part of NASA's Artemis program to return humans to the moon.
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Time now for News Flash!

Let's talk about the word 'mission'.

A mission is an important job or task that people work together to complete.

In science and space news, a mission means sending astronauts or robots into
space to explore (探索), collect data (蒐集資料), or test new technology.

Space agencies like NASA spend a lot of time planning missions to the Moon or
Mars.
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newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you might hear it in an episode.

We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!