Ava Chiang
3/11/19
Biology Odd / C
Current Event 5
Maldarelli, Claire. “Rabid Animals Don't Always Foam at the Mouth-Here's What to Look out for Instead.” Popular Science, 11 Mar. 2019, www.popsci.com/rabies-virus-symptoms.
For my current event I decided to read an article by Claire Maldarelli called “Rabid Animals Don't Always Foam at the Mouth-Here's What to Look out for Instead.” The topic of this article is on how the symptoms for rabies on animals isn’t always shown through aggressive behaviour, foaming at the mouth, or other stereotypical rabies symptoms. Instead, many animals with th virus “simply act sick and lethargic, while others might simply drool and act more tame than they usually would” or the animal infected could act less nervous around humans “ which can lead to either aggression or docility, depending on the creature.” The article then described rabies symptoms for humans, which is similar to flu symptoms: aches, general weakness, fever, and headaches. After a few days and the virus progresses, it can lead to agitation, confusion, hallucinations, and ultimately death. Modarelli warns readers that though this disease “affects animals all over the world” and is “found in every continent except for Antarctica” animals such as raccoons, skunks, foxes, and coyotes make up the majority of rabies cases in the US. But according to the “World Health Organization (WHO) and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in the U.S., 99 percent of human cases that turn deadly come from dogs” because pets often act as links between humans and wild animals. Maldarelli concludes that to avoid contracting the virus, people should wash areas bitten by wild animals with soap and water to kill the virus and wash clothes or other items that came in contact with detergent or bleach. The virus needs to enter the body through an open wound or mucus membranes to infect your body but Immediate medical attention is recommended, doctors or other medical professionals can administer a series of vaccines and other medications called post-exposure prophylaxis to avoid contracting the virus. If its a pet that us at risk, than the owner should seek help from an vet to be tested and vaccinated.
This article describes the dangers of rabies and how carelessness when handling wild animals or pets can lead to the death of a loved one or a pet. Though there was only ten cases of human deaths due to rabies in the US, more than 55,000 people are killed by this infectious disease worldwide every year, according to the Centers for Disease Control this is “mostly in Africa and Asia, where access to the vaccine is scarce.” Regardless of medications available, the rabies virus still proves to be deadly and a risk that should be taken care of immediately and with care.
Maldarelli wrote an thorough and powerful article that warns against carelessness when treating diseases, even the ones with medications and vaccines that can cure it. She also encourages people to treat suspicions of infections seriously and cautions against interactions with wild animals. Her article had a fast pace and flowed smoothly, which is its best quality. However, Massarelli's article seemed to be too factual and statistic orientated, which made it seem like an instructions manual on how to treat rabies and doesn’t go with her title. An possible improvement would be inclusion of examples of how rabid animals without stereotypical rabies symptoms harmed humans. By including specific cases, Maldarelli would’ve been able to connect to her readers empathetically and improved the effect of her article.
Chris Aherne
ReplyDeleteMr. Ippolito
Core bio
3-20-19
Maldarelli, Claire. “Rabid Animals Don't Always Foam at the Mouth-Here's What to Look out for Instead.” Popular Science, 11 Mar. 2019, www.popsci.com/rabies-virus-symptoms.
For current event 6, I chose the read my classmate Ava's review on the dangers of handling wild animals. Throughout this review, I found that Ava did many things very well. For example, one of her strengths in this review was her thoroughness. She exemplified everything about a well written review. This is shown by her ability to cite and explain facts given from the article. Secondly, she did an outstanding job going into detail about the topic. It is seen when she exclaims that 99 percent of human rabies cases are from dogs. Lastly, she did a great job of stating all of the facts. After reading both the article and Ava's review, it became evident to me that she had covered every topic covered in the article. Although, she did a great job with many things in this review, there were a few things that she could improve on.
One thing that I found Ava could improve on is her transitioning. Although she did a thorough job of stating all of the facts and covering each topic she was presented with, she could have made her review more fluid with better transitions. Although a very minor change the review could benefit from a small change like this. Secondly, I feel as if Ava's review would benefit most from an increase in opinion. While reading her review it felt to me like I was reading a facts sheet about what the harms of rabies are. It felt like it was fact after fact with no break in between.
I learned a great deal about wild animals from this review. It was easy to understand and very informational. I chose this review because I am always interested in learning about the danger of wildlife. It is always fun to read about the creature that we share this planet with. This review changed my perspective on wild animals. I will always remember to be more cautious when I see a wild animal in person.
Tenzing Pixley
ReplyDeleteCore Biology C Odd
Current Event 6
Wednesday, March 20th, 2019
Chiang, Ava. “‘Rabid Animals Don't Always Foam at the Mouth-Here's What to Look out for
Instead.’” Bronxville HS Core Biology, Bronxville Highschool, 1 Jan. 1970,
bhscorebio.blogspot.com/2019/03/rabid-animals-dont-always-foam-at-mouth.html.
When reading Ava’s review of Rabid Animals Don't Always Foam at the Mouth-Here's What to Look out for Instead by Claire Maldarelli, I found myself to be very informed by the end of it. One part I liked was when you talked about the symptoms of sick or rabid animals. I found it to be informative as you clearly defined the differences between common beliefs and reality of the signs rabid animals show. Another part I enjoyed reading was when you described the effects of the virus once it spreads. I feel like this decision made your essay more impactful. Lastly, I was impressed by how you wrote about the cures for an infected bite. This tied up the whole essay as you covered each aspect of your topic.
Although your report was well written, I felt that it could’ve used some more stylization rather than just quoting and retreading what the author already stated. Your work may have been informative, but it was a slow read regardless of how much information you added. However, this is moreso a minor quip which only affects me as a reader on a personal level, not your essay as a whole.
All in all, I felt that your review of the article was very informative as it covered every aspect of your topic. From symptoms, common tropes, effects and cures for infected animal bites, you tied up the whole essay from beginning to end. I learned a lot from your piece as my knowledge on rabies is quite limited and this definitely helped to broaden my perspective.