In late August, when I first heard the news of a potential ebola epidemic, I did not take the news seriously, at all. Recently, when I learned that ebola has been all over the news, threatening the U.S., I realized this is a problem that can affect us.
I have decided to use the ebola virus as an example because it can (though hopefully will not) affect us severely. It is scary to think of how it is an actual threat that is very near, and I think because we can actually see in the future the virus affecting people close to us, for example, in Dallas. I think people, including myself, have more motivation to help causes, in general; when they see the cause, affecting people close and the risk is near, they finally feel the need to help.
The article I chose discusses the Ebola virus in West Africa and then applies the concerning issue in Africa to the United States. The main conclusion the author brings forward is that the situation in Africa can escalate to 10 times the initial rate, therefore the it can become a problem that has great potential to affect us. We therefore have to take measures soon and the measures will only be efficient if everybody complies.
The author brings evidence from the CDC that at the rate ebola is spreading, the number can increase to a range of 600,000 – 1.4 million people infected by January 2015. The WHO predicted 10,000 cases a week by December 1rst.
The author does not have any biases, however he does try to persuade the reader that precautionary action must be taken soon because of the predictions mentioned.
I think the author makes a good point that people should and I believe are currently taking precautionary measures. He proves that there is reason to take such measures and justifies that it is the right thing to do in this case. The virus has been spreading like wildfire and can, for lack of better terms, “destroy the world and humanity” and we would definitely not want that! If we want live to appreciate and know what science is, we should listen to the author and help in the efforts to stop ebola.
Thanks Sarah. This seems like it should be straight forward, but there is a lot of controversy in the news about the actual rate of spread, it sounds like your author cited credible sources and convinced you that it is a problem.