When Jenny, a 50-year-old marketing and branding professional from Cambridge, went for her shingles(带状疱疹) vaccine last year, an entirely different disease was on her mind(在她心头；她所想的). Having witnessed three of her four grandparents succumb to dementia, with all the distress that brought, she wants to avoid the same fate.(她亲眼目睹四位祖辈中有三位因痴呆离世，以及由此带来的种种痛苦，因此她希望避免同样的命运。) She hopes the shingles vaccine might help.
去年，来自剑桥的50岁营销与品牌专业人士珍妮去接种带状疱疹疫苗时，她心里想的却是另一种完全不同的疾病。她亲眼目睹四位祖辈中有三位因痴呆而离世，以及由此带来的种种痛苦，因此她希望避免同样的命运。她希望带状疱疹疫苗能有所帮助。
Jenny is far from alone(绝非个例). Britain’s high street chemists(药房；药剂师) have reported a rise in demand for the shingles vaccine, at least some of which is driven by people more worried about dementia than shingles. And while the vaccine is free for some on the NHS(英国国家医疗服务体系), most under-65s pay around £450 for the full two doses(剂量；一剂).
珍妮绝非个例。英国商业街上的药房报告称，带状疱疹疫苗的需求有所上升，其中至少有一部分是由那些更担心痴呆而非带状疱疹的人推动的。虽然部分人在NHS可免费接种，但大多数65岁以下的人需支付约450英镑才能完成两剂全程接种。
The trend follows a flurry of studies that suggest, but do not prove, that the shingles vaccination might offer some protection against dementia.(这一趋势源于一系列研究，这些研究提示（但并未证明）带状疱疹疫苗可能对痴呆有一定的保护作用。) How much protection? It depends on how the study is done, but scientists have reported as much as a 20% reduction in risk, with the strongest effects in women. On a brutal(残酷的；无情的) disease that has no cure, the impact could be profound(深远的；深刻的). “Imagine a vaccine that became a medicine for dementia,” says John Todd, professor of precision medicine at the University of Oxford(牛津大学) and one of the scientists involved. “Wow. Wouldn’t that be amazing?”
这一趋势源于一系列研究，这些研究提示（但并未证明）带状疱疹疫苗可能对痴呆有一定的保护作用。保护作用有多大？这取决于研究的设计，但科学家报告风险降低幅度高达20%，且对女性的效果最强。对于一种无法治愈的残酷疾病来说，这种影响可能是深远的。“想象一下，一种疫苗成了治疗痴呆的药物，”牛津大学精准医学教授、参与研究的科学家之一约翰·托德说。“哇。那岂不是太棒了？”