Zika, a newly identified mosquito-transmitted virus, has recently been in the headlines of every newspaper because of its link to Guillain-Barré syndrome and possible link to the birth defect microcephaly. While this link has not been proven yet, doctors in Recife, Brazil noticed a shocking increase in the number of microcephaly cases in babies. This disease causes, “children with normal faces up to the eyebrows, and then you have no foreheads and very strange heads,” said Dr. Celina M. Turchi, an infectious diseases researcher at the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation in Brazil. These symptoms are consistent with incomplete brain development. Doctors could not figure out why they had such a sudden spike in microcephaly cases until they discovered the spike in Zika cases as well, causing them to investigate a connection between the two. Researchers and doctors in Brazil have been working to find a link between Zika and microcephaly and even found Zika in the amniotic fluid in pregnant women and Zika in the brain tissue of two stillbirths. Yet, this does not prove a link, more research needs to be done and test need to be run on many more women before any definite link can be concluded. This suspicion has led the World Health Organization to declare a public health emergency, ask pregnant women to refrain from travel to the countries infected with Zika, and ask women to refrain from unprotected sex with men who have just traveled to one of these countries. Some Ministry of Health leaders even recommended that women delay having children in these countries. Many countries had been tracking Zika as it traveled from Asia through the Pacific Islands, eventually landing in South America. However, Zika is considered to be much less dangerous than its cousin viruses like yellow fever, dengue, and West Nile virus, so not much was done to try and prevent it. Zika now is present in 33 countries with a combined population of over 600 million people, so it has the potential to be destructive. Yet, in Recife and the state around it, cases of Zika have been declining for the past three weeks, and researchers do not understand why. This could be a good sign that the virus is not one that can persist in a community, or it could just be a fluke because it is in a very confined area of country. Zika is an up-and-coming public health crisis that needs to be addressed sooner rather than later.
The Ebola Outbreak that started in March 2014 stirred up fear among the entire world. We failed to stop that outbreak because of lack of cooperation and coordination among countries. We learned lessons from Ebola and can apply these to Zika. We need to get in front of this before microcephaly becomes a common birth defect and cases of Guillain-Barré skyrocket. No mother should be afraid to have a child because of mosquitos, and this fear could potentially affect the population size of the next generation.
I think the authors did a very good job of framing their argument into different sections. However, they were rather quote-heavy and lacked specific science evidence. This evidence is not widely present because of lack of research, but there are still statistics and studies out there that could have been used to scientifically back up their claims. Overall, the article was very well written and easy to read.
Citation:
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.
.
I found Ansley’s review of How a Medical Mystery led to ZIKA very interesting. Ansley did a very good job condensing the information into a very clear, concise summary which was easy to follow and easy to absorb. I also liked how Ansley wove direct quotes from the article into her summary. The quotes were very useful in explaining exactly what ZIKA is and its effects. Most of all, I liked how Ansley tied the ZIKA virus, and the potential epidemic which could come with it, to the ebola virus in her “call to action”. By highlighting the failure in dealing with Ebola and appealing to the fear of having a birth defect in one’s child, Ansley makes a strong argument towards global collaboration in fighting this new disease.
ReplyDeleteThis review was very well done, however, there are a couple areas where it could have been improved. The first way Ansley could have improved her review is by elaborating on certain less well known topics such as Guillain-Barré syndrome. I, for one, do not know what Guillain-Barré disease is or the effect it has on people and so it would have improved my understanding of the issue if this disease had been explained. Also, since Ansley makes such a strong “call to action”, I would have liked it if Ansley could have said what actions could be taken to stop the spread of this disease and how to protect one’s self.
One question I was left with after reading this review is how is this disease spread? In her review Ansley says that, “These symptoms are consistent with incomplete brain development.” After reading this, I would like to look farther into this disease to understand how this disease could spread quickly while it seems to be spread vertically, from generation to generation.
Ansley,
ReplyDeleteI found your article report particularly intriguing as it tackles a topic that has been in the news quite recently, but also is not completely understood by scientists as its spreading has occurred in a short period of time. I thought you did a good job incorporating quotes that described in great detail what the Zika virus is and the effect it is having on church dirty mutations. In addition, you went the extra mile by comparing the Zika virus to a similar outbreak of the ebola virus that emerged just last year. Lastly, I though you did a good job in that you made powerful points regarding global cooperation in combating this new and devastating disease. In terms of how you could have improved your review, I feel that you could have expanded on your view of what should be done a little more, as you made strong points but didn't necessarily provide solutions to the epidemic. Also, I think you could have elaborated on the potential risks of the disease spreading into the United States more, as it is currently a fear of the American people as a whole. In terms of why I chose this article, it did not take much time for me to decide with review to read, as I've followed the news flow regarding the topic in the past few weeks and think it is most definitely an issue that must be remediated with utmost haste.
Ansley,
ReplyDeleteOne aspect that helped make your current event so strong was the nature of your topic. The Zika virus has been widely referenced across television, newspapers, and all other form of media; and choosing to research this topic was consequently quite beneficial because of its captivating nature. Another aspect in which your review was especially strong was your description of the Zika virus. Before reading this review, I was not very informed on the virus. I felt you provided enough description for me to understand the possible consequences of the topic without providing excessive detail, such that it vastly improved my ability to read your review. Another strong point I feel you made was your connection to Ebola. Connecting the Zika virus to Ebola helped put the context of the issue into perspective, and I, personally, thought this helped improve my understanding of your topic.
Although you wrote an excellent review, I feel that a stronger explanation of worldwide tactics that are being used or could be used to combat Zika would have further improved your review. This make your review stronger by raising awareness as to what the reader can do to help support safe practices in effort to combat Zika. Furthermore, I would appreciate further description regarding what evidence could establish a definite link between Zika and microcephaly. Although somewhat trivial, I think that this could be interesting information.
Once again, great job with your review. One thing I learned from your review is that the Zika virus can actually be found in the amniotic fluid of pregnant women. I felt that this was an especially strong piece of evidence in demonstrating a strong link between Zika and microcephaly.
Well done Ansley.
Citation:
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. .