Dr. Craig Spencer Tests Positive for Ebola
Review- Grace Randall
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/24/nyregion/craig-spencer-is-tested-for-ebola-virus-at-bellevue-hospital-in-new-york-city.html
The article, Doctor in New York City Is Sick With Ebola, discusses the recently reported case of Ebola in New York City. On Thursday, October 23, Dr. Craig Spencer was admitted to isolation at Bellevue Hospital after reporting symptoms of Ebola, including a fever of 103˚. Only just a week ago, the doctor returned from treating Ebola patients in Guinea. From interviews with Spencer, we know he visited a bowling alley, rode the subway, and took a cab the day before noticing symptoms, but fortunately it is believed that he was not contagious during this time. As precaution however Health officials are still making sure to track down anyone he made direct contact with, as well as checking locations he traveled to. It has been confirmed though, that his fiancee and two of his friends are being confined to quarantine as precaution, as they are not yet showing signs of infection. It is also noted in the article that authorities are working hard to seal of areas such as his apartment and inform neighbors of the condition. Finally, its being assured that New Yorkers have no need to worry now because the space and people infected or at potential risk are in isolation.
This article is greatly significant to humanity, and especially to our personal location. For humanity as a whole, the spread of ebola is of widespread concern, and familiar to nearly everyone. The recent outbreaks in Africa , and reported cases in other areas of the world, are a great scare to people of all ages and cultures. Even authorities fear this virus has potentially devastating effects, and health organizations across the globe are taking an abundance of precaution. It’s important for people to be aware of the spread of this disease, as well as learn from cases how to better prevent this. Specifically to our location in Bronxville, this article has a great effect on us. The disease is closer to us than it ever has been, as the proximity of NYC and our small town is only about 30 minutes. Being informed about cases as relevant as this is important in raising precautious awareness and a better widespread knowledge for people. Until recently, Ebola has been centralized in Africa, however now that more and more cases are being reported, the idea of a fatal contagion is becoming more real.
Overall, I feel this article went into great depth with detail, while still providing information in varying aspects of the story. I think the author did a good job at informing the reader with enough detail to understand the situation, however I think they could have done a better job giving background information. For those people who are unfamiliar with the basic information on Ebola, or also the what work with the victims is like, this article could somewhat hard to understand or fully grasp. I think it’s important that the author at least provide a bit of background on the topic so readers more unaware of the topics than others can still understand it. I also noticed that some the sentence structure was poor, espceially run-on. For example the opening line says, “A doctor in New York City who recently returned from treating Ebola patients in Guinea became the first person in the city to test positive for the virus Thursday, setting off a search for anyone who might have come into contact with him.” Coming from a prestigious newspaper, I definitely think they could have done a more diligent job in editing this text. As a whole, however, I think this article exhibits a thorough and good documentation of this case.
As I read Grace’s review on the article she read, I became genuinely scared about the growing Ebola virus. Despite this disturbing topic, the review she wrote was very impressive. I liked how she criticized the author with many things that he did incorrectly, like run-on sentences, and insufficient background information. I also liked how she described the proximity of the disease to our town, and how it could affect us. The fact that the disease has come so close really opened my eyes to how terrible the Ebola virus is, and also how it could affect our town of Bronxville, because someone that is contaminated is only a mere 30 minutes away. Lastly, I liked how she started off her review with a grabbing topic sentence, not the usual first sentence of “Recently I read … by …”.
ReplyDeleteAlthough this was such a great review, there were some errors. For example, she could have researched the Ebola virus and explained it a little more, despite the fact that the author didn’t include much background information, instead of just assuming that the reader knows what Ebola is. Secondly, she had a very detailed critique of the article, but not many positive things from the article. She could have included more compliments about the article, other than simply saying it had good detail.
This review was excellent to read, and I took a lot away from it. The review really helped open my eyes to the overshadowing threat of the Ebola virus, and how close it has come to our town. It also helped me realize how it has affected the world in general.