Less than a year ago, most people were oblivious to what the Zika virus was. Now, however, with its name stamped on every headline, there are a lot of questions floating around: where exactly did this virus come from? what does it do? how will it affect us? The Science article, “Zika Virus: Your Questions Answered”, provides us, as the title suggests, with a simplified answer of these questions. The outbreak of the Zika virus began in one of the islands belonging to the Federated States of Micronesia, and eventually spread to Brazil and then other parts of South America. The reason this virus exploded so suddenly, is due to the growing population of a specific mosquito that carries this virus, and, surprisingly, humans themselves, who travel and take the virus with them. The chances of the virus spreading to the U.S are high, however because of environmental conditions and low mosquito counts, the outbreak would most likely be small. For now, any signs of these diseases in the U.S are “imported cases”, where infected individuals arrive in the country, not the mosquito itself. Contrary to the belief, it is not confirmed that the Zika virus is causing microcephaly, abnormal shrinkage in head size, in babies located around Zika infected areas. Manoel Sarno, a fetal medicine expert, has reported saying that “the pattern of brain damage he is seeing now looks distinct from microcephaly caused by other infections, such as cytomegalovirus (CMV) or rubella.” In the end, however, they cannot confirm that it is completely linked to Zika until tests results come out. There is currently no vaccine for the Zika virus, and it may take years to make one as well, due to the complexity and time required in order to perfect it. There are also very few symptoms associated with the Zika virus, the main concern is the effect on fetuses, so the push to make a vaccine has been relatively low.
I thought this article provided a lot of information about the Zika virus, a current event that some people may not know about. It’s important to society, because it is infecting so many people in Latin America and has the potential of spreading to other places as well. Another reason this may be significant to society, is because most of the time when epidemics break out, there is so much fear for one’s own health that simple facts are often missed. So learning about this virus, is important so that people don’t over react and can truly understand what it is.
I think this article was pretty well written and informative; I learned things about this virus that I hadn’t really known about before. I also think it provided a good amount of facts for a basic knowledge of the origin and development of the virus, which would also help with gaining more information. However, it was slightly choppy and organized into question and answer form, so sometimes topics jumped around. I would have also liked a few statistics about how many were infected, what future plan are for governments, and other such things. Overall, it was informative and clearly written.
Vogel, Gretchen, Jon Cohen, and Martin Ensernik. "Zika Virus: Your Questions Answered." Science. 2016. Web. 30 Jan. 2016. <http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2016/01/zika-virus-your-questions-answered >.
I enjoyed reading the review of the Science article “Zika Virus: Your Questions Answered.” All aspects pertaining to the Zika virus were clearly defined and explained. The Zika virus originated in the islands of the Federated States of Micronesia and then spread to South America, specifically Brazil. The population of the particular mosquito that carries the Zika virus has rapidly increased. It is transmitted to humans who travel and carry the virus with them. The dangers and risks of the Zika virus were clearly addressed. It has a high probability of spreading to the United States. However, the United States’ environmental conditions and small population of mosquitos ensure the outbreak would be small. The Zika virus causes microcephaly in pregnant woman, causing abnormal shrinkage in fetal head size. There is no vaccination for the Zika virus and there are few symptoms associated with the virus. The use of quotations strengthened the review. Manoel Sarno, a fetal medicine expert, states, “the pattern of brain damage he is seeing now looks distinct from microcephaly caused by other infections, such as cytomegalovirus (CMV) or rubella.”
ReplyDeleteThe use of statistics would have added credibility to the review. The Zika virus is a current epidemic, with the Center for Disease Control recently announcing it can be sexually transmitted. To write the statistics of babies born with microcephaly would have created a scale to how severe the virus is. Furthermore, the research for creating a vaccination would have been interesting to read about.
This article was interesting and informative. The Zika virus is a current epidemic that is feared by many. It is to know the basic information about it because it is infecting many people in Latin America and is spreading rapidly. Prior to reading the article, I only knew the Zika virus caused microcephaly in fetuses. It was interesting to learn about the origin of the Zika virus and how it is transmitted.
Vogel, Gretchen, Jon Cohen, and Martin Ensernik. "Zika Virus: Your Questions Answered." Science. 2016. Web. 30 Jan. 2016.
I read Yosman’s review on the article, Zika Virus: Your Questions Answered. She did a really good job of summarizing what symptoms like brain shrinkage were linked with the virus and how all of these supposed “symtoms” are not proved. It was also helpful that she mentioned that the Zika virus originated in the Federated States of Micronesia and spread to South America through population growth of the mosquito that carries the disease. Secondly, Yosman did a good job of mentioning why the information about the Zika virus is relevant to society today. Lastly, she made specific, critical comments about the article, stating that the topics were not put together very well.
ReplyDeleteOne aspect that I think Yosman could have done better was that some of her sentences were oddly put together, so sometimes her review grew a little confusing. She also did not capitalize properly at the beginning of some of her sentences. Lastly, she didn’t exactly state what the Zika virus was. She just mentioned some supposed symptoms and where it came from.
This article was very informative and interesting. The Zika virus is a growing epidemic and constantly appears in news articles today. In addition, the Zika virus just spread to the United States and it was just recently found that the disease can be transmitted through sexual interactions. Prior to reading this article, I only knew that it could cause brain shrinkages in fetuses. However, this review informed me about the origins of the virus and that the brain shrinkages aren’t truly proven yet.
ReplyDeleteCitation:
Vogel, Gretchen, Jon Cohen, and Martin Ensernik. "Zika Virus: Your Questions Answered." Science. 2016. Web. 30 Jan. 2016. .
I thought that the report was great. The report flows very smoothly. The order makes logical sense and it is very easy to read. I liked how there was enough background information and the reader is not left unclear about any topics discussed. It explained the relevance in detail and all the specific reasons and pieces of evidence for the findings were included in a very easy to understand manner. The topic choice was also a good choice because it is very relevant and its importance is made very clear. It also provided the scientific reasoning and importance of the Zika Virus Outbreak. I also did not see anything that could be changed other than stylistic personal choices that vary from person to person.
This article was a good choice because it is a very relevant issue in the modern world. In politics, in economics, you name it; global health is always a major discussion topic among many people and influences the way we live and the things we use in our everyday lives. It also affects our future as human beings. The Zika Virus may be somewhat contained at the moment, but it is important to destroy it the source by granting immunity to those who come into contact with it and protecting them from mosquitoes that are carrying it.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading Yosman's review on the article, “Zika Virus: Your Questions Answered." There were many aspects of her review that positively enhanced her points. She did a great job explaining where the virus originated from that was contrary to popular belief. The virus had originated in the Federated States of Micronesia and spread to South America where there was exponential mosquito growth. I also thought that Yosman did a great job explaining the relevance to society today because the virus is such a threat. Lastly, she intellectually criticized the original author of the article that ultimately enhanced her review because she acknowledged the fact that there were some missing components in the original.
ReplyDeleteThere are some things that Yosman can work on to create an even better review. For example, nowhere in the review does she summarize exactly what the Zika virus is -- she merely states some potential symptoms. I also think that she could have mentioned some of the statistics revolving around the virus (although I know that the original author of the article did not provide her with much). Some hard factual statistics would have sincerely strengthened her review.
I learned a lot from Yosman's review that I had not known from simply reading the news. I thought that researchers would be frantic in attempting to find an approach to handle the situation. It is deeply concerning and I hope that the epidemic does not reach too many individuals. There is even talk of canceling the Brazil olympics as a result - making it the sixth cancellation in the history of the olympics dating back to the ancient greeks.
Vogel, Gretchen, Jon Cohen, and Martin Ensernik. "Zika Virus: Your Questions Answered." Science. 2016. Web. 30 Jan. 2016. .
I read the review of “Zika Virus: Your Questions Answered.” Yosman did a good job of explaining why the virus was spreading so quickly. There is a specific type of mosquito that is experiencing a large population growth, that in addition to people with the disease that are traveling contributes to the rate that zika is spreading. She also gave more information on the threat of zika to the Unites States. At the moment the only cases of zika in the US are people who brought it back with them. It is highly likely that zika will travel to the US, but our climate will prevent the outbreak from being as widespread as it is in South America. Yosman also summarized the symptoms of the zika virus simply. The shrinkage of infant’s head may not actually be caused by zika, it could be from other infections. Since the main effects are on fetuses a vaccine has not been developed, and will not be for a few years.
ReplyDeleteTo improve her review, Yosman could have added more about the actual disease. She only discussed one of the symptoms and did not talk about the effects the zika virus has on adults, or children. It would have also been nice to have statistics, such as how many people were infected with it currently, and how many babies as a result have abnormally small heads.
I read this article because I wanted to learn more about the zika virus, and it is constantly talked about in the news. This article pertains to us because soon it will be in the US. I learned that the zika virus has not been proven to cause brain shrinkage in fetuses, though it usually what is discussed when talking about it.
Hi Yosman! One thing I loved about your review was the topic that you chose. There has been so many headlines and so much information on the zika virus recently that it is very relevant. You also did a great job of explaining why the zika virus is possible to spread to the US which is important. So far the virus has only entered America through people who have traveled and brought it with them, not from mosquitos. Any outbreak is likely to be small, however, because of the environmental conditions and low mosquito counts. I also enjoyed how clear your sentences were and the advice you gave to the author to add more statistics.
ReplyDeleteOne thing I thought you could have improved is to add if anyone in the United States has been affected. I’m not sure if someone has so that is why the topic is so popular, or for a different reason. That leads me to my second comment which is that you could’ve added more to why everyone is talking about this now, what started the outburst?
Something I learned from your review was that the main concern with zika is its negative effect on fetuses and that there are very few symptoms associated with the disease.
Vogel, Gretchen, Jon Cohen, and Martin Ensernik. "Zika Virus: Your Questions Answered." Science. 2016. Web. 30 Jan. 2016. .
Yosman,
ReplyDeleteYou did a great job identifying and describing the Zika Virus, a virus I was previously oblivious to. Your response was very well written and informative. I was able to learn a lot since I had previously known virtually nothing about the virus. First of all, you summarized very well the linked symptoms, such as brain shrinkage, to how all of these supposed “symtoms” are not proven. The origins were also helpful to know because that sheds light on how it came about and how it eventually spread to Brazil and then other parts of South America. That was very helpful to understanding the situation. Next, you provided us with good insight on how the virus spread to the US. It was not the mosquito itself that arrived here, but already infected people are what bring it over. Finally, I liked how you brought your review to a higher level by talking about its effects and the lack of vaccinations to date. You supplied good information about how “There are also very few symptoms associated with the Zika virus, the main concern is the effect on fetuses, so the push to make a vaccine has been relatively low.”
However, one thing I would have liked to see, and which would have strengthened your arguments, were statistics and numbers on those affected, number of deaths, etc. - anything that could be relevant. Other than that, I did not like the font you used. It sounds weird but things like that can get to some readers (like myself). That is not necessarily a setback in your writing or analysis, but that is the only other thing that bothered me because your review was very good.
Furthermore, I was surprised to see this topic because just today I was talking to a friend who booked a trip to the Barbados. She was overwhelmed because she was able to buy a round trip ticket for $120. The funny part is that she found out the reason the prices were so low was because of the Zika outbreak...which I had no idea what that was. But now I do!
Vogel, Gretchen, Jon Cohen, and Martin Ensernik. "Zika Virus: Your Questions Answered." Science. 2016. Web. 30 Jan. 2016. .