Talk:Aniru Conteh/GA1

GA Review

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Reviewer: Philcha (talk · contribs) 14:51, 16 October 2011 (UTC)

I'll mark Y comments when I think they're resolved, highlight N any that are unresolved when most others are done, and strike out any of comments that I later decide are mistaken. I'll sign each of my comments, so we can see who said what - please do the same.

I'll mark the review {{inuse}} when I'm working on it, as edit conflicts are frustrating. If you think I've forgotten to remove {{inuse}}, please leave a message at my Talk page. Please free to use {{inuse}} with your own signature when you're working.

I love the DYK line, give in Talk:Aniru Conteh. --Philcha (talk) 18:01, 16 October 2011 (UTC)

I'll read the article through first, then give comments. --Philcha (talk) 14:51, 16 October 2011 (UTC)

Coverage

• Is there nothing about Conteh's earlier life, e.g.school or friends. --Philcha (talk) 15:36, 16 October 2011 (UTC)
  • My answer is, there's not much more than what we have in the article. Donaldson's memoir might turn up some more details. I'll try to find a copy and look. Viriditas (talk) 11:43, 17 October 2011 (UTC)
• Y Was Conteh ever married. Any children. --Philcha (talk) 15:36, 16 October 2011 (UTC) Any other medical workers in the family? --Philcha (talk) 16:30, 16 October 2011 (UTC)
  • I will take another look at the sources, but I think I got it all. Viriditas (talk) 01:30, 17 October 2011 (UTC)
    • There is something more about one of his sons. I think he works or did work for the UN. Not sure if that is relevant to this biography. Viriditas (talk) 04:23, 17 October 2011 (UTC)
      • Here it is: "Kenneth Conteh, his son who works for the United Nations..."[1] However, that is from 2004, and there is no new update. Viriditas (talk) 11:16, 17 October 2011 (UTC)
• Y His religion? --Philcha (talk) 15:36, 16 October 2011 (UTC)
  • Good question. I'll look into it. Viriditas (talk) 01:22, 17 October 2011 (UTC)
    • I'm not seeing anything in the sources, but I have not finished looking through all of them. Since his life wasn't focused on religion but on practicing medicine and saving lives, it probably isn't that important. Viriditas (talk) 04:32, 17 October 2011 (UTC)
      • OK, I finished looking. Unless I'm missing something important, I'm not seeing anything about his religion in any of the sources. That's my official answer. My off the record answer is that I seem to recall, many years ago, reading something about Conteh and religion in Donaldson's memoir. I no longer own the hard copy (I often give good books away to others to read and pass on) but I think I have a digital copy somewhere. Searching through Google Books and Amazon, I haven't found anything yet. The fact that the secondary sources haven't mentioned it, tells me this is somewhat of a closed issue. Viriditas (talk) 11:40, 17 October 2011 (UTC)
        • Found it, page 92. It's almost deliberately ambiguous, and I refuse to interpret it in this context. If it isn't explicit, and if the secondary sources don't note it, then I'm not going to add it. Viriditas (talk) 12:02, 17 October 2011 (UTC)
          • OK. --Philcha (talk) 20:19, 19 October 2011 (UTC)

• Y His colleague, and any competitors or opponents. --Philcha (talk) 15:51, 16 October 2011 (UTC)
  • Colleagues are already mentioned in the contributions to medicine and legacy section (Nicholas Mellor, Daniel Bausch, and Ross I. Donaldson). Only opponents were the rebels and they are mentioned. No competitors that I am aware of due to the extreme hazards of his job. Viriditas (talk) 01:28, 17 October 2011 (UTC)
    • Thanks. --Philcha (talk) 07:49, 17 October 2011 (UTC)
      • FYI, some sources allude to him working with other colleagues, for example, Dr. Abdul Rahman Wurie,[2] but without more explicit information, I've left it out. Viriditas (talk) 11:19, 17 October 2011 (UTC)

Structure

• Y OK at top level. --Philcha (talk) 19:42, 17 October 2011 (UTC)

Early life, education, and teaching

• I'll check this latter. --Philcha (talk) 19:42, 17 October 2011 (UTC)

Response to comments from AIRcorn

• There, he studied chemistry and biology at Fourah Bay College and began teaching after receiving his BSc Nitpick - there is slightly redundant.
  • I will fix this. Viriditas (talk) 22:24, 3 November 2011 (UTC)
    • Done.[3] Viriditas (talk) 04:24, 4 November 2011 (UTC)

Medical career

• I'm not sure this is the best title for the section, as "Conteh spent the next four years employed by the Ibadan Teaching Hospital" (in "Early life and education"). Can you find another title, e.g. "Conteh's work to control Lassa fever". --Philcha (talk) 19:42, 17 October 2011 (UTC)
  • I don't see any problem with the section header, however, I'm open to any proposals. The line about Conteh teaching in the early life and education section is also fine, and I don't see a problem with it. His professional career did not start until 1979, and the few years he spent teaching after graduation are part of his early life and education. Do you believe that Conteh's time at Ibadan Teaching Hospital was part of his professional career? I'm open to that possibility, but I'm not yet convinced. If you think you can improve the title, please do so. Viriditas (talk) 20:17, 17 October 2011 (UTC)
    • To me, "Conteh spent the next four years employed by the Ibadan Teaching Hospital" looks like part of his professional career, as he graduate in 1974. --Philcha (talk) 21:36, 17 October 2011 (UTC)
      • He was teaching at the medical school he attended in his 30s, and this was still part of his early life and education stage. Did he learn how to teach during this time, and did he take these skills into the professional phase of his career when he worked as a medical officer outside of the med school environment? In fact, yes, due to the civil war and lack of supplies, he spent a great deal of time training nurses and staff, and developing public health programs to teach the public about the dangers of Lassa fever. Would changing the header to "early life, education, and teaching" satisfy your concerns? Viriditas (talk) 22:09, 17 October 2011 (UTC)
        • I've made some changes. Does this satisfy your concerns? Viriditas (talk) 05:03, 18 October 2011 (UTC)
          • I've ask at Wikipedia_talk:WikiProject_Medicine#Aniru_Conteh for advice about Conteh's career starred. --Philcha (talk) 22:06, 18 October 2011 (UTC)
            • Conteh's career as a Lassa fever specialist and clinical director started in 1979 at Nixon Methodist Hospital. He did not make a career for himself at a teaching hospital after graduation. Is there something wrong with the current heading of "early life, education, and teaching"? The sources are very clear on his career: "Aniru Conteh spent 25 years in his native Sierra Leone dedicated to treating patients with Lassa fever...In 1979, Dr. Conteh returned to Sierra Leone, beginning what would be a 25-year career dedicated principally to the fight against Lassa fever."[4] 2004 - 25 = 1979. I assume this is a closed matter, now. Viriditas (talk) 23:57, 18 October 2011 (UTC)

Response to comments by AIRcorn

• In 1976, a nosocomial outbreak at Catholic Missionary Hospital in the town of Panguma, Sierra Leone, attracted attention in the United States. Should it be "the Catholic Missionary Hospital".
  • I had a difficult time confirming the exact name for this hospital, as the sources referred to it by many different names, and the name is different today. I will look into this again. Viriditas (talk)
    • OK, I finally figured out why I was having so many problems. Well, it's because the hospital was destroyed during the civil war. It was later rebuilt. Anyway, more sources from that time refer to it as "Panguma Catholic Hospital" than any other name, so I'll use that instead. Viriditas (talk) 04:12, 4 November 2011 (UTC)
      • Done.[5] Viriditas (talk) 04:17, 4 November 2011 (UTC)

Nixon Methodist Hospital

• The 1st para is about the 1976 outbreak of Lassa fever, with nothing about Conteh. Can you about it about Conteh, with the 1976 outbreak as background. You may need to re-organise the whole section. --Philcha (talk) 19:42, 17 October 2011 (UTC)
  • It's necessary and important background information about the initial outbreak of Lassa fever, the establishment of the CDC program in Segbwema, and Conteh joining the program. All of the major sources about Conteh have this information. I apologize if you find the presentation confusing, but I believe it makes sense in the context of his professional career. Try to read it again. In other words, the initial outbreak is presented to the reader, who must at some point must be informed, albeit briefly, about the disease. The reader will inevitably ask, what is Lassa fever?, and this is explained adequately. There are various ways of doing it, and I've experimented with a few, but I've found that this is the ideal way of presenting the information. Then, the reader is told that the CDC established themselves in Segbwema because of the outbreak, where Conteh joined the team. If you think about this for a moment, you'll discover that no matter how you do it, this information must be in the article and is an essential part of the topic. I don't see anything that needs to be rewritten, however, if you do, please explain how and why. This is not just about Conteh, but about explaining in as concise a manner, what his research interest concerns and how it came about. I really don't see any way around this. The initial outbreak of Lassa fever led to the establishment of the CDC program in Segbwema, which made it possible for Conteh to work at Nixon Methodist Hospital. I suppose you could move the first paragraph to another section, but I don't see why. Do you have a specific proposal? Feel free to implement it if all it takes is moving the paragraph. Viriditas (talk) 20:18, 17 October 2011 (UTC)
    • I've made a few changes[6][7]. Does this satisfy your concerns? Viriditas (talk) 05:04, 18 October 2011 (UTC)

Kenema Government Hospital

• Y Section OK. --Philcha (talk) 20:49, 19 October 2011 (UTC)

Response to comments by AIRcorn

• The civil war finally ended in 2002, and Sierra Leone began the process of rebuilding the country. I am not sure a country can began a process.
  • I was informally referring to the government, but I will revisit the sources and see if I can rewrite it with more precise wording.
    • Actually, this wording is correct. Almost all of the sources I've looked at on the subject say "Sierra Leone works to rebuild the country", or "Sierra Leone to rebuild education infrastructure", or "The country struggles to rebuild its infrastructure and economy" or "Sierra Leone is trying to rebuild its tourism industry", etc. However, I don't see anything wrong with adding the word "government". Viriditas (talk) 13:09, 5 November 2011 (UTC)
      • Done.[8] Viriditas (talk) 13:12, 5 November 2011 (UTC)

Contributions to medicine

• Y How does "Diagnosis and Clinical Virology of Lassa Fever as Evaluated by Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay, Indirect Fluorescent-Antibody Test, and Virus Isolation" support "In the absence of the CDC, the Lassa ward was supported with supplies and equipment by Merlin, a medical relief agency based in the UK". --Philcha (talk) 08:52, 20 October 2011 (UTC)
  • You've got the pub year mixed up. The statement is cited as "Bausch et al., 2004, pp. 1889-1890 and Morris & Calisher, 1997, 1458, not Bausch et al., 2000, pp. 2670–2677. You read the 2004 as 2000. In any case, the question as to sourcing is still legitimate, so let's take a look:
  • Bausch et al., 2004, pp. 1889: "When civil war broke out in 1991, the treatment ward was moved [from 'Segbwema, the central hospital of CDC's program'] to the relative safety of nearby Kenema Government Hospital...The war eventually forced the CDC program to close, but Dr. Conteh and the Lassa fever ward carried on through the support of the British medical relief agency, Merlin."
  • Morris & Calisher, 1997, 1458: "The medical-relief charity MERLIN has provided all Lassa-fever services since case numbers started rising again in December, 1996. The country's only treatment ward was established in Kenema, along with primary-care centres throughout the Lassa belt. Part of the clinics' role was to detect and arrange transfer of suspected cases to the Kenema ward. In the first 4 months of 1997, MERLIN treated 356 clinical cases. Laboratory confirmation has been available only retrospectively, by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Atlanta, GA, USA). So, treatment regimens have included drugs for malaria and typhoid as well as ribavirin."
  • Additional sources:
  • Wright, 2004, p. 1831: "In 1996, Conteh was instrumental in helping Merlin, the UK-based medical-relief organisation, to establish a programme of health care in Sierra Leone, which included support for the Lassa isolation ward and the development of expertise in the control of Lassa fever."
  • Khan et al., 2008, pp. 104: "Civil war in Sierra Leone forced suspension of the CDC program in 1993, with subsequent transfer of the public health aspects to the relief organization Merlin...in 1996."
  • Obituary: Dr Aniru Conteh. Merlin: "Working with Merlin Dr Conteh began his association with Merlin in 1996, when he was instrumental in setting up the Lassa Fever control programme, which included support for the Lassa treatment ward at Kenema Hospital."
  • Donaldson's book about Conteh and the Lassa Ward features numerous examples of Merlin supporting the ward with supplies and equipment.
  • Merlin, the organization says they provide "medical care throughout the world. In the critical first phase of an emergency, when local infrastructures have collapsed and people are at their most vulnerable, we send in rapid response teams of doctors, nurses and support staff. Their mission is to care for the sick, prevent disease and rebuild local health services. MERLIN teams stay in the field until the situation has stabilised, typically for 6-12 months. After the crisis, we provide medical expertise, training and supplies, in order to regenerate local health services for the future."
  • However, Merlin worked in Sierra Leone with Conteh for almost a decade "providing support to a small, remote hospital housing a dedicated ward to treat Lassa fever patients in the Kenema district."[9]
  • A report listing some of the supplies and equipment distributed by Merlin in Sierra Leone in 2001 alone can be found here. According to Merlin, "support is given by providing drugs and medical equipment, adequate water and sanitation facilities, supervision and training for health staff, establishing treatment protocols and monitoring disease."[10] For the 2010 report, see this link.

Even though the above wording is correct, I've struck "with supplies and equipment" so that it conforms to the source in use.[11] Viriditas (talk) 11:32, 20 October 2011 (UTC)

Y. --Philcha (talk) 10:42, 23 October 2011 (UTC)

• Y Rest of section is fine. --Philcha (talk) 10:42, 23 October 2011 (UTC)

Death

• "He is survived by ... four sons, and two daughters" - The Lancet said "... four sons, and two daughters", but one said 3 (? CDC). --Philcha (talk) 11:27, 23 October 2011 (UTC)
  • Yes, there is a discrepancy in the sources that I neglected to note in the errata section. I will address this again. Viriditas (talk) 04:01, 24 October 2011 (UTC)

I'm not sure what to make of this:

• April 9 - Mellor 2004b: four sons, two daughters
• April 29 - Mellor 2004a: three sons and two daughters.
• May 29 - Wright 2004: four sons, and two daughters
• October - Bausch 2004: three sons, and two daughters

There are several interpretations. For instance, it could be a typo. Or, it is possible that Conteh had four sons, but only three survived him, which might explain Mellor's subsequent change. Viriditas (talk) 11:06, 27 October 2011 (UTC)

Response to comments by AIRcorn

• On second thoughts the whole He is survived by is not very good for an encyclopaeia. It could easily go out of date and be incorrect. Maybe mention Sarah somewhere under Early Life.
  • Agreed. I will make the change and make mention of his sons and daughters in a footnote, although I may consider keeping them in the body. Viriditas (talk) 22:36, 3 November 2011 (UTC)
    • Done.[12] Viriditas (talk) 12:58, 5 November 2011 (UTC)

Legacy

Y OK. --Philcha (talk) 11:37, 23 October 2011 (UTC)

Philcha cannot carry on

I am ill and cannot continue with this review. I will ask another reviewer to take over. All sections have been done except the "Early life, education, and teaching", "Medical career‎" and "Nixon Memorial Hospital". --Philcha (talk) 17:58, 23 October 2011 (UTC)

No worries. Get well soon. Viriditas (talk) 04:06, 24 October 2011 (UTC)

The ".... graduating in 1974. Conteh spent the next four years employed by the Ibadan Teaching Hospital. He returned home to Sierra Leone in 1979" omits the fact that Conteh started his work on Lassa fever in the Ibadan Teaching Hospital in 1974. --Philcha (talk) 17:58, 23 October 2011 (UTC)

No, that is not correct. I don't know why you think that. Conteh started his work on Lassa fever in 1979 when he joined the CDC team. The sources are explicitly clear on this point and I've shown that above and in in reference to the sources.[13] His 25-year career "dedicated principally to the fight against Lassa fever" began in 1979. Viriditas (talk) 04:07, 24 October 2011 (UTC)

Dead links and DAB pages

I'll check with User:Dispenser/Checklinks and the DAB checker when the content is stable.

References

In Aniru Conteh, readers manually find the sources and then manually return to the article. I think other methods are better, for both readers and writers, as these take the readers to the citation and then ALT-previous to returned.

• <ref>MHIRT, 2009, pp. 124-124</ref> finds citation "MHIRT Sierra Leone", ... Center for Evidence-Based Global Health - and then ALT-previous to return.
• Wikipedia:Cite#How_to_place_an_inline_citation_using_ref_tags is OK if the citations are all small.
• At present I use Wikipedia:Cite#List-defined_references (LDR for short) with {{r}} - the latters shows page number (or range) in the text, and generates a ref that links directly to the source, e.g. Jackson & Hallas is cited 50 times.
• In the Sfn system (see Wikipedia:Cite#Shortened_footnotes), CITEREF puts a full citation in a list in "References" and {{sfn}}one uses a citation in the text - in priciple like LDR, but the details as different. Advantages: no page numbers in the text, they're hidden in each use of {{sfn}}; an internal sort groups sets of identical pages in the same work so that had e.g. each use page X has the same ref number in the text and uses of pages Y-Z share another ref number. Disadvantages: it needs an extra click to reach the details of the cited work, compared with LDR. Example: Brachiopod. --Philcha (talk) 17:30, 20 October 2011 (UTC)

Philcha, I appreciate your good suggestions, but over time, I've used all of the footnote systems you mention in many different articles. I've only recently started to edit without them and I find the simplicity of plain text far superior. Having to manually find the references isn't that big of a deal, and we've got plenty of FA and GA-Class articles that use them. In fact, one could argue that the reviewer would have to spend more time and attention to detail to work with such articles, which could be a good thing. In any case, this isn't a criteria for a GA. Viriditas (talk) 02:28, 21 October 2011 (UTC)

Images

I'll check the images when the content is stable.

Response to comments by AIRcorn

• Not sure about File:CIASierraLeoneKenema.jpg. No source is supplied so it is impossible to check the rational.
  • The summary reads "CIA Factbook map of Sierra Leone modified to identify Kenema. Originally uploaded on the English Wikipedia", but I'll try to fix it to make it more explicit. Good catch, there. Viriditas (talk) 22:34, 3 November 2011 (UTC)
    • Done.[14] Viriditas (talk) 22:47, 3 November 2011 (UTC)

Lead

I review the lead last, to check that all of it is based on the main text.

Response to comments by AIRcorn

• When the CDC left after the Sierra Leone Civil War broke out in the early 1990s Is left the best word here? Disbanded? Closed down?
  • I believe you are correct. I will make the necessary change. Viriditas (talk) 22:16, 3 November 2011 (UTC)
    • Done.[15] Viriditas (talk) 12:43, 5 November 2011 (UTC)

Errata

Response to comments by AIRcorn

• As to the errata, I think it would be nice to have a footnote explaining the many for the lives he saved.
  • Can you specify? Are you recommending the expansion of footnote 24? Viriditas (talk) 22:32, 3 November 2011 (UTC)
    • Sure, I was meaning for the "many lives saved statement" in the lead. I know it is sourced in the body, but it would be nice to be able to click on a footnote and see what the reliable estimates say. Something like [1] [Source] estimate Conteh was responsible for saving X lives, while [source] puts the estimate at Y. Not a requirement for GA, just something I thought of when I was reading the article after I saw your errata section on the talk page. AIRcorn (talk) 00:07, 4 November 2011 (UTC)
      • It might be best to take a conservative approach and stick to the sourced percentages showing the reduction in mortality instead. To be accurate with the numbers, we would have to look at the raw data. Viriditas (talk) 13:18, 5 November 2011 (UTC)
        • I added a shortcut link to the lead instead of a footnote which would interrupt the sentence or interfere with the summary. Clicking on "saved many lives" brings the reader to the legacy section where the relevant two footnotes are located. Viriditas (talk) 13:25, 5 November 2011 (UTC)
          • Done.[16] Viriditas (talk) 13:28, 5 November 2011 (UTC)

Aircorns Review

I will be taking over this review from Philcha. My comments will be left below this line. I will review the above discussion and anything that appears outstanding and that I deem still needs work will be restated here. Feel free to debate any of the comments I make. AIRcorn (talk) 08:47, 31 October 2011 (UTC)

The only carryover from Philcha seems to be from the death section. Sounds like you have some conflicting source issues. How many sons did the man have? The typo explanation doesn't really make sense, three was written and it happened in two sources. My take on it is this, correct me if I am wrong:

• Lancet, very reliable says 4 sons; author Wright who writes obituaries
• BMJ, also very reliable says 3 sons; author Mellor who worked with Conteh
• Independent [sorry can't access it] says 4 sons, would think it is trumped by the other references. Author Mellor though.
• CDC, reliable says 3 sons, author Bausch also a colleague

I don't know. If I was a betting man I would say he had four sons and was survived by three due to Wright not knowing the man and Mellor contradicting himself. We probably shouldn't here though. The best advice I can think of is to omit it for now. It won't fail for missing this. If you want to keep it you could reword to say "at least three sons" or use the blanket "children" and explain the numbers in the notes. AIRcorn (talk) 06:49, 3 November 2011 (UTC)

On second thoughts the whole He is survived by is not very good for an encyclopaeia. It could easily go out of date and be incorrect. Maybe mention Sarah somewhere under Early Life. AIRcorn (talk) 09:11, 3 November 2011 (UTC)

Further comments

GA review (see here for what the criteria are, and here for what they are not)

---

Better do a quick checklist

1. It is reasonably well written.

   a (prose): b (MoS for lead, layout, word choice, fiction, and lists):

   Few very minor comments

   When the CDC left after the Sierra Leone Civil War broke out in the early 1990s Is left the best word here? Disbanded? Closed down?

   There, he studied chemistry and biology at Fourah Bay College and began teaching after receiving his BSc Nitpick - there is slightly redundant.

   In 1976, a nosocomial outbreak at Catholic Missionary Hospital in the town of Panguma, Sierra Leone, attracted attention in the United States. Should it be "the Catholic Missionary Hospital".

   'The civil war finally ended in 2002, and Sierra Leone began the process of rebuilding the country. I am not sure a country can began a process.

2. It is factually accurate and verifiable.

   a (references): b (citations to reliable sources): c (OR):

   Just the number of sons thing above. As to the errata, I think it would be nice to have a footnote explaining the many for the lives he saved.

3. It is broad in its coverage.

   a (major aspects): b (focused):

   Think Philcha covered this well

4. It follows the neutral point of view policy.

   Fair representation without bias:

5. It is stable.

   No edit wars, etc.:

6. It is illustrated by images, where possible and appropriate.

   a (images are tagged and non-free images have fair use rationales): b (appropriate use with suitable captions):

   Not sure about File:CIASierraLeoneKenema.jpg. No source is supplied so it is impossible to check the rational.

7. Overall:

   Pass/Fail:

   Not much needs doing here. A nice article and good to see some effort put into the coverage of African Scientists

   All concerns have been addressed. AIRcorn (talk) 00:12, 6 November 2011 (UTC)