The coming plague : newly emerging diseases in a world out of balance

Based on research and interviews with experts in virology, molecular biology, disease ecology, and medicine, an exploration of our battles with microbes examines the current outbreak of infectious diseases and outlines what can be done to prevent the coming plague. 25,000 first printing. Tour. Unpurified Drinking Water, Improper Use Of Antibiotics, Local Warfare, Massive Refugee Migration Have Contributed To Changing Social And Environmental Conditions Around The World. These Have Fostered The Spread Of New And Potentially Devastating Viruses And Diseases : Hiv, Lassa, Ebola, And Others. The Author Takes The Reader On A Fifty Year Journey Through The World's Battles With Microbes And Examines The Worldwide Conditions That Have Culminated In Recurrent Outbreaks Of Newly Discovered Diseases, Epidemics Of Diseases Migrating To New Areas, And Mutated Old Diseases That Are No Longer Curable. Introduction -- Machupo: Bolivian Hemorragic Fever -- Health Transition: The Age Of Optimism, Setting Out To Eradicate Disease -- Monkey Kidneys And The Ebbing Tides: Marburg Virus, Yellow Fever, And The Brazilian Meningitis Epidemic -- Into The Woods: Lassa Fever -- Yambuku: Ebola -- The American Bicentennial: Swine Flu And Legionnaires' Disease -- N'zara: Lassa, Ebola, And The Developing World's Economic And Social Policies -- Revolution: Genetic Engineering And The Discovery Of Oncogenes. Microbe Magnets: Urban Centers Of Disease -- Distant Thunder: Sexually Transmitted Diseases And Injecting Drug Users -- Hatari: Vinidogodogo (danger: A Very Little Thing): The Origins Of Aids -- Feminine Hygiene (as Debated, Mostly, By Men): Toxic Shock Syndrome -- The Revenge Of The Germs, Or Just Keep Inventing New Drugs: Drug-resistant Bacteria, Viruses, And Parasites -- Thirdworldization: The Interactions Of Poverty, Poor Housing, And Social Despair With Disease -- All In Good Haste: Hantaviruses In America. Nature And Homo Sapiens: Seal Plague, Cholera, Global Warming, Biodiversity, And The Microbial Soup -- Searching For Solutions: Preparedness, Surveillance, And The New Understanding -- Afterword. Laurie Garrett. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. This is an amazing book that Laura Garrett wrote back in the 90's. For anyone that has read the more popular book by Richard Preston "The Hot Zone" this is a must read. It is a much tighter more informative book. She takes us through the history of viruses in a journalistic/story approach. She breaks down the emergence of Ebola and the other emerging viruses and what it could mean in a brilliantly entertaining way. Each new disease/chapter starts with a journalistic story and ends with an educated informative narrative. With the Ebola outbreak going on now in Western Africa I had to come and revisit this classic. She warned us and nailed it. Unpurified drinking water, improper use of antibiotics, local warfare, massive refugee migration have contributed to changing social and environmental conditions around the world. These have fostered the spread of new and potentially devastating viruses and diseases : HIV, Lassa, Ebola, and others. The author takes the reader on a fifty-year journey through the world's battles with microbes and examines the worldwide conditions that have culminated in recurrent outbreaks of newly discovered diseases, epidemics of diseases migrating to new areas, and mutated old diseases that are no longer curable. Preface / Jonathan M. Mann Introduction Machupo : Bolivian hemorrhagic fever Health transition : the age of optimism : setting out to eradicate disease Monkey kidneys and the ebbing tides : Marburg virus, yellow fever, and the Brazilian meningitis epidemic Into the woods : lassa fever Yambuku : Ebola The American bicentennial : swine flu and Legionnaires' disease N'zara : lassa, ebola, and the developing world's economic and social policies Revolution : genetic engineering and the discovery of oncogenes Microbe magnets : urban centers of disease Distant thunder : sexually transmitted diseases and injecting drug users Hatari : vinidogodogo (danger : a very little thing) : the origins of AIDS Feminine hygiene (as debated, mostly, by men) : toxic shock syndrome The revenge of the germs, or just keep inventing new drugs : drug-resistant bacteria, viruses, and parasites Thirdworldization : the interactions of poverty, poor housing, and social despair with disease All in good haste : hantaviruses in America Nature and homo sapiens : seal plague, cholera, global warming, biodiversity, and the microbial soup Searching for solutions : preparedness, surveillance, and the new understanding Afterword Unpurified drinking water. Improper use of antibiotics. Local warfare. Massive refugee migration. Changing social and environmental conditions around the world have fostered the spread of new and potentially devastating viruses and diseases -- HIV, Lassa, Ebola, and others. Laurie Garrett takes you on a fifty-year journey through the world's battles with microbes and examines the worldwide conditions that have culminated in recurrent outbreaks of newly discovered diseases, epidemics of diseases migrating to new areas, and mutated old diseases that are no longer curable. She argues that it is not too late to take action to prevent the further onslaught of viruses and microbes, and offers possible solutions for a healthier future An exploration of the battle against microbes, based on research in virology, molecular biology, disease ecology, and medicine, examines the current outbreak of infectious diseases and outlines what can be done to prevent the coming plague