1. Death, Suffering, and now the Economy
WHO — The people of the West African nations affected by the Ebola epidemic, predominantly Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea.
WHAT — The economic ramifications of the outbreak, which has already resulted in over 2,000 deaths. The New York Times reported Wednesday that Liberia’s gross domestic product could drop by 12 percent as a result of the outbreak, and that Sierra Leone’s GDP could fall by as much as 9 percent, according to a report from the World Bank Group. The prognosis is troubling for other reasons as well. If Ebola continues to spread, other neighboring nations with larger economies will be at risk, as the virus is threatening to have a domino effect economically across the continent.
“The fear of contagion has helped fuel an economic crisis” – Dr. Jim Yong Kim, president of the World Bank Group.
WHEN — Wednesday, Sept. 17.
WHERE — The New York Times
WHY — If it isn’t scaled back, the outbreak – which is already a worldwide problem – will start to affect the global economy. The virus hasn’t spread to any nations outside of Africa, but this story shows that the outbreak is capable of affecting other countries without infecting a single one of their citizens.
2. U.K. Leads the Way
WHO — British volunteer Ruth Atkins, the University of Oxford and U.K. drug giant GlaxoSmithKline.
WHAT — An experimental Ebola vaccine produced by GlaxoSmithKline, which Hill became the first British volunteer to be injected with Wednesday. Atkins said she felt fine one hour after receiving the vaccination, which, if successful, will be fast tracked to be available for aid workers in West Africa, according to The Guardian. The paper reported that 60 healthy people will be vaccinated to find out if there are any side effects. The University of Oxford, which is running the trial, hopes to have the results before the end of this year.
“These are initial safety trials of the vaccine and it will be some time before we know whether the vaccine could protect people against Ebola. But we are optimistic that the candidate vaccine may prove useful against the disease in the future” – Professor Adrian Hill, director of the Jenner Institute at the University of Oxford.
WHEN — Wednesday, Sept. 17.
WHERE — The Guardian
WHY — The story covers the first major step being taken to introduce an effective Ebola vaccine into West Africa, where the disease has been running rampant. If the results of Oxford’s trial are positive, then the world will be one step closer to containing the outbreak.
3. Enterovirus D68 makes foray into N.J.
WHO — The State of New Jersey
WHAT — Enterovirus D68, the first case of which was confirmed in New Jersey yesterday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The child that was diagnosed with the virus had been a patient at a Philadelphia hospital where other children with D68 were being treated.
“The New Jersey Department of Health is closely monitoring for increases in respiratory illness in hospitals around the state” – Mary E. O’Dowd, New Jersey’s State Health Commissioner.
WHEN — Wednesday, Sept. 17.
WHERE — NJ.com
WHY — While enteroviruses are common in the fall and winter, D68 has some parents worried, largely due to its rarity and more-severe symptoms, which have lead to hospitalizations. Basically, it’s something you don’t want your kid to catch, so knowing the states it has hit is important.
4. The Apple-a-Day Award
THE WINNER — This week’s Apple-a-Day Award goes to Erin Allday of SFGate.com. Allday wrote a a powerful feature on the Ebola outbreak in West Africa and the toll it has taken on people like Dr. Dan Kelly, an infectious disease specialist at the University of California-San Francisco. The story delves into the hopelessness that some in the medical field feel about the outbreak, and the enormity of the challenge that lies before them in such an impoverished region.
HONORABLE MENTIONS
- Kenneth Chang, for his feature on artificial sweeteners for Well, the New York Times’ personal health blog.
- Boston NPR station 90.9 WBUR, for its multimedia look at the relationship between obesity and romance.
- Mandy Oaklander, for her look at the relationship between plastic chemicals, pregnancy and asthma for TIME.
5. From the Archives
YouTube filmmaker Casey Neistat’s video on calorie labels for the New York Times’ Op-Doc series, from Feb. 2013.