How a Medical Mystery in Brazil Led Doctors to Zika
by Donald G. McNeil Jr., Simon Romero and Sabrina Tavernise Feb. 6, 2016
This article discusses the origins of the deadly virus called Zika in eastern Brazil. The authors describe the discovery of the disease through the observation of deformities in Brazilian babies’ facial features. Since these observations, the World Health Organization has declared a public health emergency and have prompted warnings to countries where the virus is circulating. Researches have concluded that the virus is sexually transmitted, and can affect pregnant women. Additionally, the virus now threatens the economies of fragile nations and the upcoming 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janerio and has sparked debate in heavily Roman Catholic countries about a women’s right to birth control and abortion. Furthermore, the article discusses the questions that have arisen since the virus’ discovery: what is the virus, how could it have been around for almost 70 years without us realizing its power, and how do we stop it?
Because it is able to spread easily, researchers are worried that the virus could potentially spread to the United States. Doctors are on high alert because of this, and many are looking into ways to limit the disease before it can keep spreading. As previously mentioned, the presence of Zika in Brazil has Brazil’s government questioning the possibility of the summer 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. As the virus continues to spread, many people in all different areas of the world are concerned.
The article was well-written and informative, and helped me to gain a clearer understanding of the topic. I have heard reports about the Zika virus in the news but did not fully understand the context of the epidemic; now I know about the origins of the virus and the ways it spreads. The authors broke the article into multiple subsections, which helped to clarify the different topics discussed. Each section had a specific area of focus, which deepened my understanding of specific topics concerning Zika virus. However, the subsections made the article harder to read because it made the writing choppier. I would have liked the authors to include a conclusion paragraph that summarized all of the information previously stated.
Overall, I enjoyed reading and analyzing this article — it was well-written, informative, and helped me to gain an understanding of a topic that I had yet to learn about.
Mcneil, Donald G., Simon Romero, and Sabrina Tavernise. "How a Medical Mystery in Brazil Led Doctors to Zika." The New York Times. The New York Times, 06 Feb. 2016. Web. 07 Feb. 2016. <http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/07/health/zika-virus-brazil-how-it-spread-explained.html?ref=health&_r=0>.
Liv,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your review of “How a Medical Mystery in Brazil Led Doctors to Zika” by Donald G. McNeil Jr., Simon Romero and Sabrina Tavernise. This article is a very good choice because this is an area of study that has received a lot of focus lately. It . I liked how you included many specific problems that this disease poses other than spreading the disease, like anti-abortion issues and questions about the upcoming Olympics. I also liked how you quoted the World Health Organization to make your article more factual and research based which makes it a more accurate and reliable source. I also thought you did a very good job at describing the relevance of this article and the importance of something like this to americans especially with your points on the high infectivity level of Zika. Though this may not be a deadly disease for many, it is definitely an important one for the world to focus on. It is especially important to research this disease further due to the many health implications it has on pregnant women. I liked how you provided background information about what it does to pregnant women and their babies and the basic details of the disease. This review was overall very well written and thought out and I thought you did a good job at displaying your thoughts in a descriptive yet concise manner.
I felt that the primary problem with your review was a lack of detail. You had many good points and presented some facts, but your arguments would have been much stronger with a few more statistics or quotes. Another aspect missing from your review was a lack of discussion of the actual origins of the virus. You mentioned that it has been around for 70 years and that after reading the article, you understand the origins and transmission of Zika, but this information was never passed on in your review.
Overall I really enjoyed reading your review and was especially interested by this topic because I think this disease is going to cause many problems in the future and will be receiving a lot of media coverage. Especially due to the fact that it has now been found in the US. To me, one of the most interesting pieces of information in this review was that Zika is a STD. Until this point I thought it was only transmitted by insects, namely mosquitos. Zika being an STD adds a whole extra level of complexity for suppressing the infection rate of this virus.
Nick Saluti
ReplyDeleteYou did a good job explaining the context of the situation surrounding the Zika virus epidemic. I did not now the virus was discovered by studying infantile deformities. You did a good job explaining that topic as well. You also did a good job connecting the epidemic to events in the modern world. Analyzing the affect that the virus would have on the Olympics really brings the review to another level.
One thing that could have been improved was an explanation of the scientific qualities of the virus. Going into detail into the method of action and variety of the virus would provide the reader with a greater understanding of the virus. Also the effects of the virus on babies could be described in greater detail. How exactly does the virus affect a child? What deformities does the virus cause?
I was very surprised to find out that the virus existed for seventy years before being discovered. We like to think we have a solid understanding of the infectious entities in our world, but to have something fly under the radar for so long is stunning.
Great job Liv! I loved your summary of the article and was able to learn a lot through your description. It was very interesting to read as well. I also think that your second paragraph, where you talked about the scientific purpose, was well done. It was clear to me that you found it had a deeper meaning. Finally, I think that the review flowed very nicely and illustrated a great outline of the article. The separation of these thoughts into paragraphs allowed me to clearly understand your review.
ReplyDeleteAs your review was written beautifully and was well organized, there are a few things I suggest including in your next current event. In your third paragraph, the one that described the author’s writing, I feel that you could have been more descriptive. Though I was able to understand your ideas, it was kind of brief and could’ve included more information. I also think that in your summary paragraph, a quote could be added to give a better background of the article to the reader.
I find it interesting that these South American countries are beginning to debate women’s rights regarding birth control and abortion. It’s odd how a virus can start to affect and relate to the religion of these countries.
Mcneil, Donald G., Simon Romero, and Sabrina Tavernise. "How a Medical Mystery in Brazil Led Doctors to Zika." The New York Times. The New York Times, 06 Feb. 2016. Web. 07 Feb. 2016. .
ReplyDeleteI thought that Liv did a good job in her review of this article about the Zika virus in Brazil and the rest of South America. I thought that Liv did a good job tying the issue of the virus into the many problems it can cause, such as spreading to countries, causing problems with the upcoming 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, as well as raise controversy over women’s rights to birth control and abortion. I thought Liv did a good job of providing the main points about the virus, like how the virus is sexually transmitted and how its affects can be seen in birth deformities in the facial features. I also liked Liv’s question at the end of the first paragraph because it causes the reader to want to find out the answer to the question: “what is the virus, how could it have been around for almost 70 years without us realizing its power, and how do we stop it?” Additionally, this question provided information about the duration of time, 70 years, that the virus has been around, which I found shocking. Prior to this I had believed that this was a recent virus.
Although Liv did a very good job, I felt that there could have been more information about the virus. I felt that there was lacking information in the effects of the virus, and that there could have been more information to describe the “deformities in Brazilian babies’ facial features.” I also thought that there was a lack of information on the science behind the virus and more specifics on the research behind the virus. I felt that there could have been more in depth detail about it. Lastly, I thought that there was a very important mention of how this virus has raised the question over women’s rights to birth control and abortion, and I felt that this controversy that was amplified by this virus could have been touched on further; there could have been a better explanation of how these methods could affect the transmission of the virus.
Overall, I thought that this article helped to inform me on an epidemic that I didn’t know a lot about. I chose to read this article because I had heard talk from many athletes who questioned their safety at the upcoming olympic games and proposed not going. This article changed my view by informing me about how Zika is sexually transmitted, thus changing my perception of how people can become infected. It also gave me a better knowledge of the effects that this virus is having world wide for both those with or without the virus.
Ellie Briskin AP Bio C Even
ReplyDeleteFebruary 23, 2016 Current Event 12 Comment
Mcneil, Donald G., Simon Romero, and Sabrina Tavernise. "How a Medical Mystery in Brazil Led Doctors to Zika." The New York Times. The New York Times, 06 Feb. 2016. Web. 07 Feb. 2016. .
Awesome job with this review, Liv! First off, you summarized everything clearly and seemingly with ease, covering all of the main points of the article without including any extraneous details. Not only that, but you were able to establish a connection to how this topic affects human beings today, something that many people struggle with in these current events; you helped the reader understand how serious the virus is medically, and also how it potentially implicates social and economic issues. Thirdly, your writing style was very easy to read and follow, yet remained extremely informative. You posed extremely thought provoking questions aiding in the direction of the article, making it extremely easy for the reader to understand the key issues of the topic, clarifying the discussion by a tenfold. This casual, clear writing style is an extremely hard quality to find in nonfiction writings, which are usually either much oversimplified or much overcomplicated; this hints at a real knack you have for writing intellectual reviews!
Liv, it's so hard to think of any area which could benefit from improvement! But if anything, you may benefit from some more outside information in general. I’m still not too clear on the biological side of Zika, such as how it affects a person’s cell division and protein production. Not only that, but you pose some really excellent questions at the end of your first paragraph, but fail to answer some of them, leaving the reader wanting to know much more. Secondly, although your writing on its own, Liv, was superb, the professionalism of the article could have been enhanced with the inclusion of one or more quotes. Although this is overall not too significant, the use of quotes would have legitimized your argument and made it stronger.
But on the whole, Liv, this review was astounding. Your writing and analysis blew me away. It really taught me a lot about the Zika virus and how it could affect a person medically, economically, and socially. After reading this, I'll be sure to pay closer attention to the Zika virus, especially how it spreads geographically and how the biological strand mutates over time. Of course, our failure to find a cure for this horrible virus forces me to remember that there is always room for improvement in our world and in science, and that we must never stop working towards a cure for our world’s worst diseases, viruses, and illnesses. Overall, I chose this article because of my lack of knowledge of the topic, and am extremely glad that this is the one I read. Thanks, Liv, for giving me such a great read!