Shelby Mitchell Biology
Current Event #3 9/17/16
In the article, A Mosquito Killer, Unwelcome to Many by Donald G. McNEIL Jr. from The New York Times, a pesticide called naled was sprayed over Miami this month to help stop the spread of the Zika virus in Southern Florida. This has caused many protests and environmentalists who are worried about naled’s toxicity. naled is a chemical called organophosphate that is used to control mosquitoes. It is very lethal to insects and toxic to birds and fish. Many researches believe Aedes aegypti mosquitoes (the type of mosquitos that carry the Zika virus) have developed a resistance to naled. There has been an ongoing disagreement over naled’s safety in the United States and in Europe. For example, naled could have fatal effects to people who come into contact with it, “Overdoses can cause vomiting, seizures and loss of consciousness. An extreme doses, from a spill for example, victims lose their ability to breath, and die” (McNEIL 2). It has been banned since 2012 in the European Union because it is a risk to humans and the environment but is still used in the United States. Although the main reason Naled is used to stop the spread of Zika, no one guarantees that naled will stop the transmission. In the article it explains, “It is considered a last resort, but worthwhile because the viral threat to babies is so great and because other mosquito control measures are failing” (McNEIL 2). In 2015, mosquito populations dropped by 99 percent in Tampa and Miami and 90 percent in New Orleans. Throughout 2016, many researchers and scientists are hoping naled will help continue help stop the transmissions of Zika.
This article is important to society because the Zika Virus is an epidemic all over the world. An infection during pregnancy can cause a birth defects of the brain called microcephaly. Other problems that have been detected among infants include defects of the eye, hearing, and impaired growth. This is a huge problem because in other countries where women are pregnant there is nothing they can do from being bitten by this mosquito. Also, these mosquitos that have the Zika Virus are in Miami which is one of the most popular places to travel and live. This is why scientists have sprayed naled throughout Florida because they understand the importance of the effects this virus can have on infants.
In my opinion, this article did a great job explaining scientists efforts in trying to stop the transmission. I thought they could have explained more background on Zika and the defects it can cause to infants. They could have also talked more about the protests and demonstrations against the use of naled. Overall, besides these minor fixes, the article was very easy to understand and advanced my knowledge of the Zika Virus. Hopefully naled is just the start of scientists attempts in trying to stop the transmission this virus.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteLyric Abbott
ReplyDeleteI read Shelby’s current event article on the Zika Virus which I think she did a very good job writing and explaining. She starts off by talking about the pesticide that is used to help prevent the virus from spreading, “a pesticide called naled was sprayed over Miami this month to help stop the spread of the Zika virus in Southern Florida” and this passage helped me as a reader better understand what the article as going to be about, “ She then went on to state how this pesticide, although made to seem like a good thing, has actually had a negative effect, “This has caused many protests and environmentalists who are worried about naled’s toxicity. There has been an ongoing disagreement over naled’s safety in the United States and in Europe.” This passage also helped me better understand the virus and how bad the effect of it is. I also like how she included examples of the effect that the pesticide has on people, “For example, naled could have fatal effects to people who come into contact with it, ‘Overdoses can cause vomiting, seizures and loss of consciousness. An extreme doses, from a spill for example, victims lose their ability to breath, and die.’” This passage definitely helps the reader better understand what the pesticide actually does and how bad it can be.
Although Shelby’s current event was very well written, there were a few aspects of it that could be improved. One aspect that could be improved is to start by explaining what Zika Virus is and which individuals it mainly affects because I felt like she went directly into talking about the pesticide and waited until later in the paper to explain it which seemed a little late, “In the article, A Mosquito Killer, Unwelcome to Many by Donald G. McNEIL Jr. from The New York Times, a pesticide called naled was sprayed over Miami this month to help stop the spread of the Zika virus in Southern Florida.” Another aspect that she could have included in the paper is the fact that “Naled has been used in the United States since 1959, and the E.P.A. considers it safe for humans, including children, at the concentrations used in aerial spraying.” It would have been good to include this because it shows that although it is incredibly dangerous, our country still chooses to use it.
Overall, I learned a lot about the virus’ pesticide from this current event and it helped me understand how deadly the Zika Virus really is. I chose to read and review this current event because I have heard a lot about the virus over the past few months, but I have never really known that much about it or what kind of chemicals and research are being created to prevent it from spreading. It changes my understanding of it because I now realize how dangerous it really is and how dangerous the pesticide is that is the thing that is trying to prevent it from spreading. I am now more aware of the virus and what it is doing to people who have been affected by it.
Shelby Mitchell did a great job doing this current event,she provided good evidence for her claim and cited it which it's always nice. I also liked how she listed the problems that Zika can lead such as microcephay. She was very specific on where the Zika virus is impacting, which is Miami. One thing she have could dine better was expand on her opinion on what she thought of the article. Also, she could have focused more on the treatments of Zika. One thing I did not know about Alex and how if we used too much naled could beused it can hurt the environment
ReplyDeleteI read Shelby’s report on “A Mosquito Killer, Unwelcome to Many” by Donald G. Mcneil. Shelby did a great job focusing on showing how serious the problem was, how the problem was affecting the people, the birds, and the fish directly. By doing this she showed that it could have a real effect on people, and their lives around them. It makes people want to do something about it. Shelby also did a great job showing the two sides of the debate. She showed the researchers’ side of how they wanted the mosquito killer, naled, to continue use, for the mosquito population has dramatically decreased, and in result, prevented the zika from spreading at higher rate. She also showed the side of the environmentalists, how they the killer was affecting the birds, fish, environment, and overall city. They argued, as Shelby mentioned, that there was no real purpose of harming the surroundings, especially if there has been speculation that the type of mosquito, the Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, might even be immune to the killer. Another thing Shelby accomplished really well is she explained the Zika and how the zika virus affects all who come in contact with it. She warns about the ways that you may be infected, and the ways it will affect your overall body, such as creating birth defects.
ReplyDeleteAlthough overall Shelby did a great job, there are some improvements she could’ve made. Shelby summarized the article well, but that was the main part of her report. She could’ve been more descriptive with her opinion and her interpretation. These parts just seemed a little left out compared to the overall summary. Shelby also should have included a proper MLA citation with her work. She should have not just used the hyperlink, but have gone to a site to help her, such as easybib.
My “ah-ha” moment in Shelby’s report was when she said that the overall environment and city was affected by naled. She tells of how the birds, fish, trees, and people are hurt. This includes death, and extreme side-effects of vomiting and seizures. In conclusion, this was a well-written report with a clear purpose.
Andres Saralegui
ReplyDeletehttp://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/18/health/a-mosquito-killer-unwelcome-to-many.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fhealth&_r=0
Mcneil, Donald G. "A Mosquito Killer, Unwelcome to Many." The New York Times. The New York Times, 17 Sept. 2016. Web. 20 Sept. 2016.
Shelby Mitchell wrote a current event article on "A Mosquito Killer, Unwelcome to Many" by Donald G. McNEIL Jr. from The New York Times. This article explains the spreading danger of the Zika Virus, a growing dilemma in current events. Shelby picked a interesting and concerning topic because it puts all of our health in danger. Shelby did a tremendous job at explain the danger of the situation by giving examples of what the Zika Virus can lead to. "An infection during pregnancy can cause a birth defects of the brain called microcephaly. Other problems that have been detected among infants include defects of the eye, hearing, and impaired growth". Not only does she do this, but shelby continues to explain the dangers of the pesticide the U.S. uses to get rid of Zika. "Naled could have fatal effects to people who come into contact with it, “Overdoses can cause vomiting, seizures and loss of consciousness. An extreme doses, from a spill for example, victims lose their ability to breath, and die”. Shelby also does a great job at citing her quotes and evidence from the text.
One element that shelby could have improved her current event article is adding the proper MLA citation for the article as I did above. It also would have improved the article if she ordered her facts correctly. Shelby starts the article off with talking about the Pesticide and then explains what the Zika virus is, it would have been nice if she started with the explanation of the Zika Virus and then continue on to explain the pesticide.
In conclusion, I was surprised to read that there was actual protests going on in southern Florida for the pesticide "naled", its interesting to see what people will do to get there voice heard about a topic as serious as this.
I read Shelby’s review on “A Mosquito Killer, Unwelcome to Many” by Donald G. Mcneil. I found that shelby did a great job on reviewing this unique article. One thing I enjoyed that Shelby did was that her report was extremely detailed and gave me a great understanding of what the original article was about. For example, she did a great job on explaining the history of the chemical naled and how there is an argument over whether it should be used or not. After reading this, I have gained a greater amount of knowledge on the chemical and how it can affect people in a negative way. Another thing that Shelby did well on was the language she put in to her report. Her language was extremely descriptive and made me want to keep reading on. Lastly, Shelby did a great job at mapping out the statistics for us. For instance, she gaves us the percentages of the mosquito population decrease throughout the years. I chose her report because from the start it seemed extremely interesting as well as greatly detailed.
ReplyDeleteAlthough Shelby did an excellent job, there are some areas that could be improved. One thing that Shelby could have done a better job on was giving her opinion towards the argument over whether she believes that naled should be used in controlling mosquitos or not. Also, Shelby could have added a bit more to her relevance paragraph. I found that the paragraph was a bit short and could have had some more detail added. Despite it being short, she still was able to connect the article to the zika epidemic that is affecting many pregnant women all around the world.
There were many things in Shelby’s report that I had not known previously to reading it. One thing that shocked me was that the mosquito population in cities in Florida such as Miami dropped by 99 percent. I did not know how powerful the chemical naled could truly be when used. Also, I was surprised when I read that many researchers believe that Aedes aegypti mosquitoes might have developed a resistance to the chemical that's purpose was to abolish them. It started to make me think about how powerful of immune systems these insects carry. The immune system in living things is quite a mighty defense!
I read Shelby’s review on A Mosquito Killer, Unwelcome to Many by Donald G. McNeil Jr. Shelby did a great job explaining and summarizing the article. She was very thorough when discussing the pesticide and the effects it has on animals and people. For example, she clarified what naled is and explained the devastating effects it causes. Shelby also does a good job explaining both sides of the argument, since the use of naled is a controversial topic, and she does this from an unbiased standpoint. She explains how if greatly exposed to naled it can result in death but also explains how the use of naled is a last resort in effort to stop the spread of Zika. And also, Shelby did a great job using quotes to help build her case. She backed up what she said with quotes from reliable articles, making her review much stronger.
ReplyDeleteOne area Shelby could've improved upon was explaining what Zika was, and the effects it has on people who carry this disease in the first few sentences of her review. She goes rights into discussing use of naled and the prevention of Zika but doesn’t go into detail discussing the actual virus and its effects until the second paragraph. She should of first discussed the virus and then explain what is being done to prevent it. Another aspect Shelby could improve upon is that she could of offered her opinion and stated if she believed naled should be used and why. She does a great job explaining both sides of the argument but never mentions her opinion on the topic.
I was shocked when by this quote Shelby pulled from the article discussing the effects of naled saying how “Overdoses can cause vomiting, seizures and loss of consciousness. An extreme doses, from a spill for example, victims lose their ability to breath, and die” I was confused as to why they would still use naled if it can cause such devastating effects, but I then learned that naled is as last resort option against the prevention of Zika. And, if we don’t take any measures to prevent it, Zika could rapidly spread and affect many people.