The Coming Plague: Newly Emerging Diseases in a World Out of Balance

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Where's your next disease coming from? From anywhere in the world--from overflowing sewage in Cairo, from a war zone in Rwanda, from an energy-efficient office building in California, from a pig farm in China or North Carolina. "Preparedness demands understanding," writes Pulitzer-winning journalist Laurie Garrett, and in this precursor to Betrayal of Trust: The Collapse of Global Public Health, she shows a clear understanding of the patterns lying beneath the new diseases in the headlines (AIDS, Lyme) and the old ones resurgent (tuberculosis, cholera). As the human population explodes, ecologies collapse and simplify, and disease organisms move into the gaps. As globalization continues, diseases can move from one country to another as fast as an airplane can fly.

While the human race battles itself ... the advantage moves to the microbes' court. They are our predators and they will be victorious if we, Homo sapiens, do not learn how to live in a rational global village that affords the microbes few opportunities.

Her picture is not entirely bleak. Epidemics grow when a disease outbreak is amplified--by contaminated water supplies, by shared needles, by recirculated air, by prostitution. And controlling the amplifiers of disease is within our power; it's a matter of money, people, and will. --Mary Ellen Curtin

Customer Reviews:

More riveting than The Hot Zone .......2007-09-03

If you liked The Hot Zone, you will love this book. The Hot Zone told the scary story of a variant of Ebola that turned out to be harmless to humans. The Coming Plague narrates the history of little-known but lethal diseases such as Machupo, Ebola, Four-Corners Hantavirus, Lassa Fever, Marburg and others. In each of these cases, the list of victims was relatively small, but the onset and progress of these illnesses were frightful. Garrett examines how "disease cowboys" worked backward to patient zero, followed the course of the illness, discovered its means of transmission and identified each disease. In a few cases, the original vector could not be found, despite a careful search. How even medical professionals react when they find out that they too, have the disease is a fascinating psychological study. Often they go into a state of denial, like the researcher in New York who came down with Lassa after studying some samples. At the other extreme was one doctor, who, fearing he was exposed to Ebola, hit the bottle hoping that alcohol would kill the virus. To his relief it turned out to be measles.

A large amount of this book is devoted to AIDS. Garrett details its emergence in the early 80s. She is critical of the government's slow response, which she says was partly due to the insistence of some in the Reagan administration that since it affected only homosexual men it was beneath concern. On the other hand, she suggests that the rampant promiscuity of some members of the gay community didn't help matters either. While there was enough blame to go around, the real heroes were a handful of careful physicians who noted some bizarre symptoms among their gay patients and brought this medical condition to the CDC and the world's attention. While this book presents an excellent history of the emergence of AIDS in both America and Africa, Garrett's information on AIDS is now unfortunately out-of-date.

The author presents more chapters on antibiotic-resistant TB, Legionnaire's Disease, the problem with overdosing farm animals with antibiotics and even Toxic Shock Syndrome. At one point, I bogged down with information overload. But during Garrett's chapters on hemorrhagic and other exotic fevers, this book is difficult to put down.

Fascinating and frightening.......2007-07-23

This book, when it came out, pointed out the coming problems in our medical system like antibiotic resistance, long before it became common knowledge. But it also suggests that as we continue to transform our environment, new plagues and diseases will continue to threaten our existence.
My only criticism of the book is that it was a difficult read, because it is very densely packed with information. This book requires patience to read, but it is well worth it.

Extraordinary.......2007-03-31

After finishing this book you will never read a newspaper the same way again. I am amazed, and a little scared, at how much of what Laurie Garrett wrote in 1995 has come to pass in 2007. Her story about the "disease cowboys" who track the causes of unexplained epidemics in the remote corners of the world is both absorbing and eye-opening. And it has helped me to see disturbing trends in current news stories that I would have missed had I not read The Coming Plague.

When it first appeared, I avoided this book because it seemed depressing and alarmist. In the years since I have had occasion to work on some international communications projects and in the process came to be interested in global public health. Once that happened, reading Garrett's book was essential. She is one of the most informed individuals writing on global public health in the US today.

Amazingly, although the material is sobering and sometimes truly scary, the book is not in the least depressing. It often reads like an adventure story. If you like detective puzzles, you'll be drawn into Garrett's tales of Ebola turning up in Reston, Virginia, and Marburg virus being unwittingly spread by do-gooder missionaries in the Congo.

Irony abounds. It turns out that much of the good we thought we were doing in the developing world was exactly the wrong thing. Garrett relates that many development projects and purported medical "advances" served to promote the evolution of drug resistant bacteria and viruses, while also raising wildly unrealistic expectations for the eradication of disease among the public and the medical establishment. The results are the return of diseases we thought were gone for good, such as TB and -- get this -- bubonic plague, and they are even harder to treat this time around because the microbes are resistent to many antibiotics and drug therapies.

Don't be daunted by the 700+ pages of this book. It is a great read and definitely worth the time you will invest in educating yourself about the the impact of human beings and our technological development on the ecology of microbial environments. I recommend The Coming Plague most highly.

One of the Four Horsemen.......2006-08-30

I read this book when it first came out and lost it when a friend didn't return it. This a fascinating book and since it was first published SARS and Bird Flu has entered our world. If you are prone to panic attacks or nightmares don't read this book because the author did a fantastic job at research and has revealed our future and the diseases that will alter it.

Superb research.......2006-08-07

This book is superb for a number of reasons but the meticulous research behind it really stands out. There is not an idea or suggested proposition that is not referenced to one - and sometimes - mulitple sources. The tentive conclusions that are laid out are suggested only after exhaustive research and tightly logical arguments.

It is not just the research and the logic, however, that makes this book so good. The book is well written and conveys the difficult subject matter of emerging, infectious diseases in a highly readable but detailed and informative matter.

The book is also laid out in a very logical fashion. In different chapters it covers everything from the etiology of new diseases to methods of transmission to social and cultural factors involved in their spread to the drama of in-field investigation of new and fiercely lethal pathogens.

The book also explores the most recent research on the evolution of new diseases, with discoveries that may portend revolutions in the understanding the natural world.

In short, this is an indespensible work for anyone wishing to understand the emergence of new diseases and cutting edge science in the modern world.

Malaria: Genetic and Evolutionary Aspects (Emerging Infectious Diseases of the 21st Century)

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Malaria: Genetic and Evolutionary Aspects (Emerging Infectious Diseases of the 21st Century)

Manufacturer: Springer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0387282947

Book Description

This book is an edited collection of papers by leading experts on the population genetics and evolutionary biology of malaria, a disease which results in three million deaths each year in the world. "Malaria Hypothesis" refers to the hypothesis, which was proposed by J.B.S. Haldane at the 8th International Congress of Genetics in Stockholm in 1948, that the identical geographic distribution of both falciparum malaria and thalassemia in the mediterranean region suggests that the heterozygous individuals for thalassemia (or microcythemia as it was called then) might have greater resistance to malarial infection. Haldane, later in the same year, expanded his theory to infectious disease in general at another international conference, at Pallanza in Italy. Haldane's hypothesis was subsequently confirmed in the African populations by A.C. Allison and later by others during the last fifty years, although at first for sickle cell anemia and later for thalassemia with varying degrees of success. The malaria hypothesis still remains today a unique example of that kind of balanced polymorphism, not only in genetics but in all of biology. It opened up new insights into our perspective of the genetics and population dynamics of disease prevalence, particularly infectious disease.

New York Times Deadly Invaders: Virus Outbreaks Around the World, from Marburn Fever to Avian Flu (New York Times)

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Creepy crawly icky yucky germs
An important first-person journey with many implications for modern health.
Courtesy of Teens Read Too

New York Times Deadly Invaders: Virus Outbreaks Around the World, from Marburn Fever to Avian Flu (New York Times)
Denise Grady
Manufacturer: Kingfisher
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0753459957

Book Description

Browsers and young students alike will enjoy these lively question and answer books with their unique mix of realistic illustration and engaging cartoons. The enticing questions will amaze, amuse and inspire, while the highly visual format encourages kids to keep reading.

Customer Reviews:

Creepy crawly icky yucky germs.......2007-02-05

I was at the American Library Conference in New Orleans scoping out various publisher booths when I found myself at the Kingfisher location in possession of a nice hot pink non-fiction tome with the vibrant words, "Deadly Invaders" popping out of the cover. I knew that the New York Times had started publishing books for children, much as National Geographic has, but this was the first of its kind I'd had a chance to handle for myself. So for three or four nights in a row, I used this title to cautiously immerse myself in every dangerous virus outbreak from AIDS to SARS. The book is a fascinating look at how our ever-shrinking world may someday face a pandemic of the worst possible nature. For the kid that wants some info on deadly diseases that kill with no cure, I can't think of a better book to hand them. Just don't be tossing this title casually to any child prone to apocalyptic fears.

Author Denise Grady is a science reporter for The New York Times and has been so since 1998. In the eight years since she joined the Gray Lady, Ms. Grady has had the mixed honor of being in a position to learn as much as possible about some of the deadliest diseases in the world. Grady begins "Deadly Invaders" with in-depth study of Marburg Fever. To study the effects of this viral hemorrhagic disease, Grady traveled to Luanda, Angola to view the doctors working in the area. She then traveled to the much smaller and, to be frank, filthier city of Uige and the province of the same name. Grady recounts both these experiences with the professionalism of a true reporter, then fills out the book with summaries of six other deadly diseases. The effect is simultaneously devastating and gripping (in a way that differs not too greatly from watching an informative but nasty car wreck on the highway).

To be honest with you, I had never even heard of the Marburg Fever until I read Grady's account of it. Now that I have, I am under the distinct impression that it is going to kill me. No no, I'm kidding you. In fact, if anything, Grady's story comes across as a rather hopeful piece on the competence of contemporary doctors. Sure there have been outbreaks and deaths all over the world from various viral amalgamations, but not one has ever turned into a full-blown pandemic. This is, to my mind, nothing short of amazing. Take, for example, the book's account of SARS. Providing a particularly useful little map o' infection, the reader is able to see how a single traveler from China managed to infect four hundred people when he stayed at a single hotel. Yet for all this, we are not currently walking around with masks on our faces. Well done us.

And well done, Ms. Grady. Her writing in this title for youth never patronizes her younger readers. She has the singular ability to make complex ideas and issues simple without being simplistic. In the book's introduction, for example, she is able to synthesize the "Why should I care about viral outbreaks?" question into a succinct chunk: "Whether or not you believe that a humanitarian responsibility exists, there is also a practical, perhaps selfish reason for the rest of the world to try to stop or prevent epidemics in seemingly remote places: nowhere is truly remote anymore." Most admirable, however, is Grady's ability to humanize a story of a dehumanizing disease. When she visits a clinic in Angola to follow the trials of a man in an isolation unit, she learns that his family provides food for him and brings it to the doctors. Unfortunately, all food must be placed in plastic bags, an act that would be considered humiliating in Angola. At one point we hear of a family who has placed the bagged food in a box contained within a beautifully embroidered piece of cloth. And then the man dies alone and without getting to see any of his relatives anyway. The reader hurts to hear this, but is able to stand outside the situation as well. I also enjoyed Ms. Grady's willingness to talk about how she had to convince The New York Times that this was a story worth reporting in the first place. And considering that that's their name on the cover, this comes across as mildly gutsy.

For kids, the book even has small tidbits of info that provide fascinating back-up to the larger story. At one point we learn that there is a theory that viruses are "scraps of rogue genetic material that somehow escaped people, animals, plants, or bacteria." Or how about the fact that many of this awful viral diseases come from eating monkeys? In May of 2002 more than seven hundred primate carcasses were tested for disease and they, "found SIV infection in 20 percent of them. More than thirty primate species were known to carry strains of SIV." Oog. And ick.

We would be amiss if we did not offer kudos to Anthony Cutting's book design as well. What could easily have ended up as a dull dry text punctuated by the occasional photograph becomes instead a lively book with the visual equivalent of sound bites popping up all the time. Maps, full-page info boxes, and mock index cards pepper the pages in such a way that the eye is forever flitting from interesting factoid to the main text. The color photographs, Source Notes, Bibliography of articles organized by date (with additional notes on books of particular interest), Internet Resources (thank heaven), and Index are enough to assure any non-fiction junkie that Ms. Grady knows from whence she writes.

Ms. Grady writes this book for a teen readership, but I feel "Deadly Invaders" will garner just as much interest from science-hungry tweens as well. It's a riveting account of those diseases we hear about all the time in the news, but in a way that makes them feel immediate and pressing. The hypochondriac kids you know may not be able to handle what Ms. Grady has to say, but for anyone else this book is a window into a world that our future scientists may someday wish to conquer. Now if you'll excuse me, I think I shall go and wash my hands.

An important first-person journey with many implications for modern health........2007-01-06

Denise Grady is a medical reporter who decided to survey the threats of flu and new illnesses caused by viruses, journeying to Angola to study the spread of Marburg. Hers is not only a survey of a single disease, but charts the course of health issues, scientific investigation, and accompany social and ethical issues. Students in grades 5-8 will find Deadly Invaders: Virus Outbreaks Around the World, from Marburg Fever to Avian Flu to be an important first-person journey with many implications for modern health.

Courtesy of Teens Read Too.......2006-10-11

When I received my copy of DEADLY INVADERS, I had every intention of focusing on two of the diseases I was most familiar with--Avian (Bird) Flu and West Nile Disease. I had never actually heard of Marburg Fever, but quickly realized that a large portion of the book was devoted to this disease, and became intrigued.

The Marburg Story is broken down into six sections: Luanda, Angola; The Hot Zone; Arrival in Uige; Claudia's Funeral; The Outbreak Ends, and Animal Origins. So what is Marburg Fever? The Marburg virus is found in Africa, Asia, and South America, and is called a viral hemorrhagic fever. Outbreaks tend to erupt without warning, and although they cause rapidly fatal diseases, the illnesses start out with ordinary flu symptoms--headache, fever, aches and pains, an occasional rash, diarrhea and vomiting. What causes Marburg Fever to become deadly, though, is the fact that about half of the victims who suffer from the flu-like symptoms then begin to bleed, both internally and externally. What often follows is a breakdown of vital organs like the heart, kidneys, and liver from the fluid that is leaking out of the blood vessels.

Sounds horrifically painful, doesn't it? It is, and although right now it's only been found in the aforementioned countries and has come to an end, it could arise again, and even be spread to other parts of the globe. One of the most important things I learned by reading DEADLY INVADERS is how easily a virus, whether one that is air-born or one that can only be contracted through direct contact of bodily fluids, can be spread. With the ease of travel from one country to another, and with short incubation periods for viruses with little or no obvious symptoms in the beginning, it is not unlikely that an epidemic of some sort will one day spread across the Earth.

Besides Marburg Fever, there are six other diseases profiled in DEADLY INVADERS: Avian (Bird) Flu, HIV and AIDS, Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome, West Nile Disease, SARS, and Monkeypox. Each virus has specific symptoms, and none have cures. It is up to medical professionals across the world to work together to find vaccines for these diseases, so that
we're prepared in the face of eventual outbreaks.

This is definitely an informative book. If you've ever wondered about the likelihood of outbreaks of Bird Flu or West Nile Disease in the United States, or if diseases that thrive in third-world countries will ever be a threat to those in the developed world, you need to read DEADLY INVADERS. The threat is there, and it's up to all of us to get ready.

Reviewed by: Jennifer Wardrip, aka "The Genius"

Global Mapping of Infectious Diseases: Methods, Examples and Emerging Applications

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Global Mapping of Infectious Diseases: Methods, Examples and Emerging Applications

Manufacturer: Academic Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Remote Sensing and Geographical Information Systems in Epidemiology (Advances in Parasitology)

ASIN: 0120317648

Book Description

First published in 1963, Advances in Parasitology contains comprehensive and up-to-date reviews in all areas of interest in contemporary parasitology. This volume is an outline of global environmental and global population data including scripts for predicting disease distributions and evaluating the accuracy of these mapped products. Several application chapters discuss current research topics appropriately addressed at the global scale. Topics such as tick-borne disease and the mapping of geographic and phylogenetic space; implications of global ecozonation and transportation networks on pathogen flow; and the impacts of climate change on vector-borne diseases are covered in this latest volume.

* Includes DVD of global environmental and global population data, including scripts for predicting disease distributions and evaluating the accuracy of these mapped products
* Valuable source of both technical and epidemiological data in this rapidly growing field
* Discusses practical applications of techniques to the study of parasitic and infectious diseases

Secret Agents: The Menace of Emerging Infections

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Very informative introduction to this subject
A very thoughtful and thought provoking read
new agents out to get you
Easy to read and interesting.
The Menace of Everything

Secret Agents: The Menace of Emerging Infections
Madeline Drexler
Manufacturer: Penguin (Non-Classics)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0142002615
Release Date: 2003-02-25

Amazon.com

The world's worst bioterrorist isn't the murderer who put anthrax spores into mail in the fall of 2001; it's Mother Nature, writes Madeline Drexler in this survey of infectious diseases. They're all here, described in detail from historical, scientific, and public-health perspectives: AIDS, influenza, the West Nile virus, and so on. Secret Agents is a good primer on each. The best chapter--and the scariest--may be the last one, which covers bioterrorism of the human variety (i.e., not Mother Nature). "If bioterrorists released smallpox virus, it would ... become a global calamity within six weeks," she writes. That's not even the scariest possibility: "Researchers estimate that as little as one gram of aerosolized botox could kill more than 1.5 million people." And there are no easy preventive measures. "Of the 50 top bioweapon pathogens, only 13 have vaccines or treatments." Because of this, Drexler calls for a massive increase in public-health funding. Without that, our doctors and hospitals will be unprepared for a disaster they may be able to anticipate right now. --John Miller

Book Description

As timely as it is urgent, this well-researched book from veteran science journalist Madeline Drexler delivers a compelling report on today's most ominous infectious disease threats. She focuses on a different danger in each chapter-from the looming risk of lethal influenza to in-depth information on the public health perils posed by bioterrorism. With a novelist's descriptive eye and a thriller writer's sense of tension, she warns us that the most ceaselessly creative bioterrorist is still Mother Nature, whose microbial operatives are all around us, ready to pounce when conditions are right.

Customer Reviews:

Very informative introduction to this subject.......2007-06-27

This book definitely leaves you kind of worried, showing you some of the deadliest pathogens known today. This microscopic world of bacteries and viruses has proven difficult to deal with in latest years due to misuse of antibiotics and the creation or formation of new strains like Influenza, a virus capable of pandemic. Thing is, as the author explain, there are several ways to be infected, airborne, by food, mosquitoes, even bioterrorism, a situation that makes you think if your country is prepared to keep it under control. The book read easily and softly, especially good for the layperson and in my case, awoke an interest to know more about it.

A very thoughtful and thought provoking read.......2005-07-08

As a neophyte in the understanding of bacteria and infectious desease I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Knowing how fine a line we walk in our symbiotic relationship with bacteria is as frightening as it is fascinating. I belive this book should be required reading in schools.

new agents out to get you.......2005-04-22

When reading this expose I had to remember that Ms. Drexler is a medical reporter researcher, and as such there are areas of her research that may not have been done in depth...otherwise the book is easy reading... The author has much to say regarding new and emerging viruses and bacteria and their ability to penetrate the animal-human barrier. Doctors and researchers are baffled in their attempts to locate the culprits which were in some examples birds spreading germs that jumped to humans. The flaw was Ms Drexler's misses the mark on the origins of the aids virus, choosing instead the old dry tail of the natives ate the green monkey story - ergo, they got the virus. This did not take much work!!! As current evidence shows the problem runs much deeper.

Easy to read and interesting........2003-05-22

After hearing Madeline Drexler speak at my university, I had to read this book. It is clear that Ms. Drexler has put forth a lot of effort toward producing a well-researched and well-written book. There are many quotes from professionals on the front lines of infection control, and there are many examples of normal people suffering from frightening and strange emerging infections.

Drexler's book offers a warning that we must focus on public health issues if we hope to avoid the tragedy that an agent such as a pandemic flu could cause. The book is filled with warnings about the overuse of antibiotics and the inefficiency of public health beauracracy and lack of funding. I hope that more professionals and lay people read this book and heed its message.

The Menace of Everything.......2003-03-12

Madeline Drexler's book is as frightening as she wants it to be. Secret Agents is a gripping, well-written fast read that should deeply frighten everyone on first glance. The subtitle is the menace of emerging infections but it could almost be changed to the menace of everything. There seems little escape from the possible scenarios she clearly presents (and this clarity is definately one of the book's strengths as she makes bio-science quite understandable for the layperson.) The chapter on the West Nile Virus that begins the book is particularly exciting and will the hook the reader immediately. If one pauses to look at the actual numbers, the book is somewhat less frightening as the numbers of deaths are always substantially below many of the doom-sayers' predictions, although she will repeatedly tell the reader this may not always be so. A fascinating book for our times.

Emerging Viruses: AIDS And Ebola : Nature, Accident or Intentional?

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Fishy
Nice theory, too bad the sequence analyses of viral samples prove it wrong
How to easily prove the critics wrong
If you want to know why the goverment does this read on...
Not a conspiracy at all

Emerging Viruses: AIDS And Ebola : Nature, Accident or Intentional?
Leonard G. Horowitz
Manufacturer: Tetrahedron
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0923550127

Customer Reviews:

Fishy.......2007-01-14

I didn't like this book. For one thing, if it were non-fiction, then why all the dialogue between him and his wife, which was more or less fiction, since who could remember that kind of detail all that time?

For another, there were significant omissions, like the biowarfare lab on Plum Island in New York, lyme disease, West Nile, mycoplasma, Royal Rife, Morgellon's, and a host of others. Not to mention the more convincing evidence that AIDS is from swine not cattle.

He also totally mis-understood milieu interior, which doesn't refer to political climate but the health of the host, affecting whether or not he will catch any illness he is exposed to, which was huge in the history of vaccine development.

Finally there is very convincing evidence that prion disease is environmental - copper deficiency in the face of manganese poisoning, which has been known since Andre Voisin wrote "Soil, Grass, and Cancer".

Nice theory, too bad the sequence analyses of viral samples prove it wrong.......2005-11-23

Please read the science on this subject before becoming a "true believer" in this theory. Detailed study of the sequences of simian immunodeficiency viruses from many species of monkeys and chimps, compared to the sequences of viral samples from humans with HIV-1 or HIV-2 clearly show that Horowitz's theory is not consistent with the data. When in doubt I suggest going with the facts not speculation.

When a theory does not match the data - move on.

A good start point to enter the scientific literature is a review article "AIDS as a Zoonosis: Scientific and Public Health Implications", Hahn BH, Shaw GM, De Cock KM, Sharp PM, published in Science, 28 January 2000, Vol 287:607-614. Just go to the National Library of Medicine website at www.pubmed.gov and enter Hahn BH, Shaw GM, De Cock KM, Sharp PM then click on related articles to access the scientific literature.

How to easily prove the critics wrong.......2005-07-11

Interestingly, the bad reviewers of this book have only convinced me of its accuracy. None of their criticisms strike me as being sound. A few of them criticize the book for scaring people, to which I would say that I only wish back in 1932, during my lifetime, someone would have, in a similar fashion, scared people about the Tuskegee Experiment. I also wish back in the 1700s someone would have scared the native americans before the British deliberately distributed smallpox infected blankets to them, killing off half of the tribes!

As to the argument that man did not know how to create the ebola virus in the 50s, the critics are not appropriately answering the scenarios raised by Dr. Horowitz. Specifically, Dr, Horowitz spends a great deal of time discussing the possiblities of:

1) Careless "professionals" allowing contamination from existing virus samples.

2) An existing virus, from one host, from which another host becomes infected, with the result being that the virus mutates in the new host to a variation of the original virus, a mutated virus for which not only can we not create, we also don't have a cure for (as in the case of AIDS).

3) A criminally misguided government official, someone such as, say, a Henry Kissinger who we know touted the the benefits of population control, who might have sent signals to outfits such as the CIA whose job it is to be paranoid to the extreme and who could obtain funding for top secret virus research for which the "experts" writing reviews here would know none of the details of what man was, or was not, capable of creating in a lab.

This is a must read for any sane person who recognizes the foolishness of sticking your head in the sand to avoid seeing the lion charging at your butt.

If you want to know why the goverment does this read on..........2004-06-16

I applaud the courage of Leonard Horowitz in exposing the truth about what the government has been up to for a long time. As a researcher I have uncovered many things that are almost too ugly to be believed. There are many out there wondering why anyone inside the government or out would do such hideous things. I strongly recommend the readers of this review to read the book "Bringers of the Dawn" by Barbara Marciniak. This book may also be hard to believe but the pieces of the puzzle will come together when you read this book. But hang on to your seats. If you also purchase the book "Power vs. Force" by Dr. David Hawkins, you will find a technique that will show you how to prove or disprove anything in either of the above books (or anything else for that matter). The answers are out there. We just have to keep searching.

Not a conspiracy at all.......2003-09-02

In fact, the evidence is out there and you just need to look for it and put it all together......Horowitz has done all the hard work for you making this reading hard to put down even for a minute.
Not surprised at all at WHO involvement and coverups...and pretty much sits with the Global 2000 agenda signed off by Vance and Co....

Book Description

Infectious diseases are an ever present threat to humans. In recent years, the threat of these emerging viruses has been greater than ever before in human history, due in large part to global travel by larger numbers of people, and to a lesser extent to disruptions in the interface between developed and undeveloped areas. The emergence of new deadly viruses in human populations during recent decades has confirmed this risk. They remain the third leading cause of deaths in the US and the second world-wide.

Emerging Viruses in Human Populations provides a comprehensive review of viruses that are emerging or that threaten to emerge among human populations in the twenty-first century. It discusses the apprehension over emerging viruses that has intensified due to concerns about bioterrorism.

* Presents the history of emerging viruses
* Includes chapters on SARS, Pandemic Threat of Avian Influenza Viruses, West Nile Virus, Monkeypox Virus, Hantavirus, Nipah Virus and Hendra Virus, Japanese Encephalitis Virus, Dengue and Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever Viruses
* Discusses surveillance for newly emerging diseases

Average customer rating:

rare collection of experts in their respective fields
Very fascinating, have referred others to read as well.

Emerging Viruses

Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0195074440

Book Description

New epidemics such as AIDS and "mad cow" disease have dramatized the need to explore the factors underlying rapid viral evolution and emerging viruses. This comprehensive volume is the first to describe this multifaceted new field. It places viral evolution and emergence in a historical context, describes the interaction of viruses with hosts, and details the advances in molecular biology and epidemiology that have provided the tools necessary to track developing viral epidemics and to detect new viruses far more successfully than could be done in the recent past. This unique book also lucidly details case histories and offers practical suggestions for the prevention of future epidemics. The contributors are leading authorities in their disciplines, and were selected both for their expert knowledge and for their ability to define and elucidate the fundamental issues. The book is highly accessible and has been written for a wide audience that includes virologists, public health authorities, medical anthropologists, evolutionary biologists, geneticists, infectious disease specialists, and social scientists interested in medical and helath issues.

Customer Reviews:

rare collection of experts in their respective fields.......2000-08-04

This book presents different aspects of epidemiology, and virology in each of the chapters. The author and many contributors are THE best people in their field and this book offers a rare opportunity in that their comments are in one easily readable volume. I have spent much time looking for the same information presented here, my research always revealed that the contributors to this volume are the prominent figures for their respective chapters. An excellent book, great value for money

Very fascinating, have referred others to read as well........1999-11-19

I finished reading this fascinating book, and I have highly recommend this book to some of my collegues in the biotech industry. Gives incredible insight for which many people would find interesting and thought provoking. Also, I would someday like to contact the author and compliment him and maybe ask one or two questions about the book.

21st Century Complete Medical Guide to West Nile Virus (WNV), Mosquito Risks, National Activity Maps, Emerging Infectious Disease, Authoritative CDC, NIH, ... for Patients and Physicians (CD-ROM)

Average customer rating:

21st Century Complete Medical Guide to West Nile Virus (WNV), Mosquito Risks, National Activity Maps, Emerging Infectious Disease, Authoritative CDC, NIH, ... for Patients and Physicians (CD-ROM)
PM Medical Health News
Manufacturer: Progressive Management
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: CD-ROM
ASIN: 1592486614

Book Description

This up-to-date electronic book on CD-ROM provides the best collection available anywhere of official Federal government information and documents on the subject of West Nile Virus, a potentially serious emerging infectious disease now established as a seasonal epidemic in North America. This CD-ROM uses next-generation search technology that allows complete indexing and makes all files on the disc fully searchable. For patients, practical information is provided in clearly written patient education documents. For medical professionals, doctor reference tools and texts have detailed technical information and clinical background material.

WEST NILE VIRUS: West Nile virus belongs to a group of disease-causing viruses known as flaviviruses, which are spread by insects, usually mosquitoes. West Nile virus was first isolated in Uganda in 1937. Today it is most commonly found in Africa, West Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. In 1999, it emerged in the Western Hemisphere for the first time in the New York City area. Most human West Nile virus infections are mild, causing fever, headache, and body aches, often accompanied by a skin rash and swollen lymph glands. If the virus crosses the blood-brain barrier, however, it can cause life-threatening encephalitis (inflammation of the brain) or meningitis (inflammation of the lining of the brain and spinal cord).

This thoroughly researched collection presents vital information from many authoritative sources: Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Centers for Disease Control (CDC), National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Department of Defense, and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). Contents include:

* Clinical and Medical Information - Risk Groups, Symptoms, Testing, Treatment, Prevention, Clinical Practice Guidelines
* Maps of West Nile Virus Activity, including Human Cases and Birds
* Mosquito Control, Avoiding Bites, Mosquito-Proof Your Home, Help Your Community
* Reporting Dead Birds, Virus in Squirrels

This CD-ROM has over 10,000 pages reproduced using Adobe Acrobat PDF software and Reader software is included. Advanced search and indexing features are built into our reproduction, providing a complete full-text index. This enables the user to search all the files on the disk at one time for words or phrases using just one search command! The Acrobat cataloging technology adds enormous value and uncommon functionality to this impressive collection of government documents and material. There is no other reference that is as fast, convenient, comprehensive, and portable!

Book Description

This volume in the series Emerging Infectious Diseases of the 21st Century provides the most up-to-date and comprehensive information available on bioterrorism agents such as:

Anthrax, smallpox, plague, and SARS

Vaccine development

New anti-viral drug development

Treatment and protection

Threat analysis and response

Biological and chemical agents

Compiled by two of the leading experts in the field, Bioterrorism and Infectious Agents provides the specialist and trainee in microbiology, infectious disease, infection control, and epidemiology with a concise, timely, and authoritative review of some of the most problematic infections of the new century. This volume will foster a better understanding of the issues and new ideas for preventing and controlling infectious diseases.

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