In his “In Times Past” column, David W. Dunlap delves into New York Times history by exploring artifacts at the Museum of The Times. A compelling artifact is a carton of the Ixiaro vaccine, crucial for reporters venturing into regions where diseases like Japanese encephalitis, spread by mosquitoes, are endemic. This disease, akin to yellow fever and dengue, poses significant risks in Southeast Asia and the Western Pacific. Donald G. McNeil Jr., a seasoned journalist with extensive experience covering pandemics, donated the Ixiaro carton to the museum. In an email, he noted the symptoms range from mild fever to, in extreme cases, seizures and death. The vaccine isn’t mandatory for all travelers but offers protection for those sleeping in unscreened rural accommodations.
McNeil, the author of “The Wisdom of Plagues: Lessons From 25 Years of Covering Pandemics” and a contributor to Medium, worked at The Times from 1976 to 2021, gaining profound insight into infectious diseases, most recently Covid-19. His assignments often led him to tropical locales. In 2014, with new vaccines greenlit by the FDA, he visited the New York Center for Travel and Tropical Medicine, requesting to be “shot up with everything.”
He received five vaccinations: Ixiaro, RabAvert (rabies), Typhim Vi (typhoid), a booster for tetanus, diphtheria, whooping cough, and likely an inactivated polio vaccine, although this wasn’t noted on his vaccine card. McNeil reported no adverse side effects, except mild nausea from a shingles shot. The rabies vaccine was a precautionary measure, given his work occasionally brought him close to animals in rural areas, where encounters with stray dogs or wildlife are conceivable.
Vocabulary List:
- Artifact /ˈɑːrtɪfækt/ (noun): An object made by a human being often of historical or cultural interest.
- Endemic /ɛnˈdɛmɪk/ (adjective): Regularly found among particular people or in a certain area.
- Vaccination /ˌvæk.səˈneɪ.ʃən/ (noun): The act of getting a vaccine to protect against disease.
- Precautionary /prɪˈkɔːʃəneri/ (adjective): Taken in advance to prevent something dangerous or unpleasant from happening.
- Symptoms /ˈsɪmptəmz/ (noun): Physical or mental features indicating a condition or disease.
- Adjunct /ˈædʒʌŋkt/ (noun): A thing added to something else as a supplementary rather than an essential part.
How much do you know?
What disease is the Ixiaro vaccine crucial for protecting against?
Which region poses significant risks for diseases like Japanese encephalitis?
What book did Donald G. McNeil Jr. author?
What vaccine did McNeil receive as a precaution due to his work with animals in rural areas?
Which of the following symptoms did McNeil mention as possible effects of Japanese encephalitis?
Where did McNeil work from 1976 to 2021, gaining insight into infectious diseases?
Donald G. McNeil Jr. donated a carton of the Ixiaro vaccine to the Museum of The Times.
The Ixiaro vaccine is mandatory for all travelers.
McNeil worked for The Times from 1976 to 2021.
McNeil received six vaccinations at the New York Center for Travel and Tropical Medicine.
Encounters with stray dogs or wildlife are not conceivable in rural areas.
McNeil reported adverse side effects from all vaccines he received.
In which year did McNeil leave The New York Times after working there from 1976 to ?
McNeil requested to be "shot up with everything" in .
The rabies vaccine McNeil received was a precaution due to his work occasionally bringing him close to animals in rural areas, where encounters with stray dogs or wildlife are .
McNeil received a booster for tetanus, diphtheria, and whooping cough along with the vaccine.
McNeil reported feeling mild nausea from a shot.
The symptoms of Japanese encephalitis range from mild fever to seizures and .
