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Medical. Sociology. Nonfiction. HTML: This program is read by the author. A vital, timely text on the viruses that cause pandemics and how to face them, by the New York Times bestselling author of HOW NOT TO DIE. From tuberculosis to bird flu and HIV to coronavirus, these infectious diseases share a common origin story: human interaction with animals. Otherwise known as zoonotic diseases for their passage from animals to humans, these pathogens�??both pre-existing ones and those newly identified�??emerge and re-emerge throughout history, sparking epidemics and pandemics that have resulted in millions of deaths around the world. How did these diseases come about? And what�??if anything�??can we do to stop them and their fatal march into our countries, our homes, and our bodies? In HOW NOT TO DIE IN A PANDEMIC, Dr. Michael Greger, physician and internationally-recognized expert on public health issues, delves into the origins of some of the deadliest pathogens the world has ever seen. Tracing their evolution from the past until today, Dr. Greger spotlights emerging flu and coronaviruses as he examines where these pathogens originated, as well as the underlying conditions and significant human role that have exacerbated their lethal influence to large, and even global, levels. As the world grapples with the devastating impact of the novel coronavirus 2019, or COVID-19, Dr. Greger reveals not only what we can do to protect ourselves and our loved ones during a pandemic, but also what human society must rectify to reduce the likelihood of even worse catastrophes in the future. A Macmillan Audio production from Flatiron Bo… (more)
User reviews
Looking back thru US history, all US presidents since World War I have contributed to the extreme vulnerability of the USA to pandemic risk. Laurie Garrett's 1990s book The Coming Plague has the best historical analysis of that trend. Many US public health professors, disease researchers and epidemiologists have warned US politicians, mostly in vain, about our increasing pandemic risks. Lest you think I am a biased liberal, in my opinion the most thoughtful response to these US presidential pandemic briefings was from President George W. Bush, who began some important new reforms. My pandemic focus is on the needed US and global public health steps, not on politics, where there's plenty of blame to be shared everywhere anyway.
Those who read this best-seller will find many reasons to adopt a plant-based diet sooner rather than later. Example: A plant-based diet greatly strengthens the human immune system. For further reading, I recommend The Fatal Strain, by Washington Post reporter Alan Sipress. The subject of The Fatal Strain is influenza pandemics, which is caused by a different family of viruses (the influenza family) than is COVID-19 (which stems from the coronavirus family), but the pandemic risk is horrifyingly almost the same. I also recommend the forthcoming (Spring 2022) title from US science writer David Quammen; his book is about the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Please see his online blog for the exact title.