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.
Hello Grace,
ReplyDeleteFirst off let me just say great job, you analysed this article very well.
3 Aspects of the review that were particularly well presented:
You used great vocabulary words such as proximity, documentation, abundance, contagion, prestigious and diligent. Clearly you are a very diligent student and I opened my dictionary more than once.
I especially enjoyed the part in the last paragraph where you were stating what the article could have done better, nice catch on finding that run-on. I agree, a well-known newspaper like the New York Times should proofread a little more closely.
I also found the connection you made to Bronxville helpful, yet frightening. It is very scary how close Ebola has gotten to us and I sure hope I do not catch it. It was very pleasant that you made that connection because sometimes reading the words New York City, you don’t take in how close we are.
2 Things you were impressed by/or learned from reading the article and its review
I was shocked to learn how much this doctor did before finding out he had Ebola. I find the fact that he rode the subway especially frightening because there are so many people in such close proximity. I hope that he at least had fun bowling.
I liked that both in the article and in your report you included tha mans name. I think some people could read this and just freak out that some guy has Ebola close to them. But when you say his name it personalizes it and you think about how sad it is that the man has Ebola. I feel pretty bad for Spencer and I hope he fully recovers.
1 suggestion for how the review could have been even better
I think you also need to proofread this one or two more times. You had a couple of missed commas, misspelled words, and some grammar mistakes.
Overall awesome job! Keep up the great work!
Peter Meyers
3 things that I was impressed by/learned from reading the article:
ReplyDeleteIt is amazing that not long ago, Ebola started in West Africa, and already it has reached New York City. I never knew that a disease could spread so quickly from different parts of the world. I was intrigued that despite the fact that a man with Ebola is very close to us, we still have little to worry about, since the health officials are quick in responding to the emergency. Also, I didn't realize that it takes a while for someone with Ebola to realize that they are infected. He didn't notice the symptoms of Ebola for nearly a full week, which was much longer than I expected.
2 aspects of the review that were particularly well presented:
I thought that you did a great job explaining how Ebola affects humanity. You put well into perspective how dangerous the disease is and how it is becoming much more serious very quickly, and how close it has become to us in Bronxville. I also liked how you presented the timeline of the day the doctor discovered he had been infected with Ebola.
1 suggestion for how the review could have been even better:
In the last paragraph, there were a couple of sentences that seemed unclear.
Great job Grace!!
Sam Abukhadra 11/1/14
ReplyDeleteCurrent event comment Earth Science
I read Grace Randall’s review of, “Doctor in New York City Is Sick With Ebola.” Overall, Grade did a great job but there are some areas which could be improved. One aspect of Graces review that I found was particularly well presented was how she added in when Dr. Craig Spencer was discovered with Ebola. He was discovered on October 23rd. This is incredibly recent and makes us understand just how real and present this disease is. Another aspect I really liked was how she incorporated all the various places he had been too and public transportation he used. This makes us wonder about the spread of Ebola and shows just how easy it could be to get Ebola. The third aspect of her review that I thought was well done was how she made Ebola’s significance to humanity so clear. Her additions about the spread of Ebola and the deadliness of Ebola clearly made her point of just how important and dangerous Ebola is.
Although Grace’s article was very well written, there were some areas where she could have improved her article. One area she could have improved on is when she was talking about the precautionary measures to prevent the speed of Ebola. If she added more detail about the process and more detail about the quarantine I think it would have made the article a lot clearer. Another area she could have added more detail is when she was talking about Ebola in Africa. I think if she talked more about the birth of Ebola. I think if this was aded in it would have made everything else in the article a lot easier to understand. One thing that really astounded me is that Ebola is almost indistinguishable for the flu. That seems crazy, someone could be completely oblivious to having Ebola. Overall, I thought Grace’s review was very well written.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete3 Aspects of the review that were particularly well presented:
ReplyDeleteYou have a lot of good information and background detail, which is very well written. I also sort of liked how you compared it to bronxville but it freaks me out but it’s a good connection. Lastly you explained everything you said very well.
2 Things you were impressed by/or learned from reading the article and its review
I was really scared how close the disease really is and just figuring it now. I also was very impressed with your vocabulary!
1 suggestion for how the review could have been even better:
Some things were unclear in the last paragraph but overall goof job!!