Modern Epidemics
From the Spanish Flu to COVID-19
1st Edition
Published on 19. March 2021
Book
Hardback
288 pages
978-1-5095-4656-5 (ISBN)
Description
COVID-19 has made us all aware of the fact that we live in a world full of invisible enemies. Normally, we don't even realize they're there, but from time to time one of these microscopic creatures becomes powerful enough to turn everything upside down. What are these invisible enemies, and how can we prepare ourselves for the pandemics of the future?
A specialist in the cellular biology of diseases, Salvador Macip explains, in a language everyone can understand, what it means to share the planet with millions of microbes - some wonderful allies, others terrible foes. He provides a concise account of epidemics that changed history, and focuses on the great modern plagues that are still causing millions of deaths every year, from influenza, TB and malaria to COVID-19. Macip also examines the methods we have used - from vaccines to improved sanitation and social distancing - to try to control these invisible enemies.
This authoritative overview of modern epidemics and the pathogens that cause them will be essential reading for anyone who wants to understand our world today, a world in which some of the greatest threats to the human species come from the invisible microbes with which we share this planet.
A specialist in the cellular biology of diseases, Salvador Macip explains, in a language everyone can understand, what it means to share the planet with millions of microbes - some wonderful allies, others terrible foes. He provides a concise account of epidemics that changed history, and focuses on the great modern plagues that are still causing millions of deaths every year, from influenza, TB and malaria to COVID-19. Macip also examines the methods we have used - from vaccines to improved sanitation and social distancing - to try to control these invisible enemies.
This authoritative overview of modern epidemics and the pathogens that cause them will be essential reading for anyone who wants to understand our world today, a world in which some of the greatest threats to the human species come from the invisible microbes with which we share this planet.
Reviews / Votes
'A timely, authoritative and reader-friendly overview of pandemics past and present. This broad and balanced account, which is devoid of Anglo-American bias, provides fascinating insights into the important events associated with, for example, the defeat of the last Inca Emperor Atahualpa, Chagas disease in Bolivia and the Mexican origin of the 2009 influenza pandemic, as well as explaining the latter's malignant effects on our preparedness for COVID-19.'Hugh Pennington, Emeritus Professor of Bacteriology at the University of Aberdeen
'Well written and informative and relevant for this difficult era of covid.'
British Society for the History of Medicine
'An important book for understanding a world in which some of the greatest threats are invisible.'
Climate & Capitalism
'This authoritative overview of modern epidemics and the pathogens that cause them will be essential reading for anyone who wants to understand our world today.'
Midwest Book Review
'An excellent basis for class discussion about the history of epidemics, equity of resources, and COVID-19, providing many examples of needed improvements.'
Choice
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Oxford
United Kingdom
Publishing group
John Wiley and Sons Ltd
Product notice
sewn/stitched
Cloth over boards
Dimensions
Height: 211 mm
Width: 142 mm
Thickness: 28 mm
Weight
499 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-5095-4656-5 (9781509546565)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Book
03/2021
Polity Press
€19.00
Shipment within 15-20 days
E-Book
03/2021
1st Edition
Wiley-Scrivener
€12.99
Available for download
Persons
Salvador Macip is head of the Mechanisms of Cancer and Ageing Laboratory in the Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Leicester and professor at the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya.
Content
Acknowledgements Introduction
An ever-present danger
Let's do our homework
A tool for understanding the present and preparing for the future
Part I Sharing the World with Microorganisms
1 Travel Companions
They were here first
Peaceful passengers
The dark side
A bit of terminology
Bacteria
Viruses: the smallest life form?
Fungi: microscopic mushrooms
2 The Story of a Never-Ending Struggle
The invisible hand behind things
Rats, fleas, and bacteria
The 'Spanish' flu
The resuscitated virus
Smallpox, a disease of the past
Poliomyelitis: next on the list?
Cost in lives, cost in money
3 Our Arsenal
Simple but vital
The immune system
The next step forward: vaccines
Cancer vaccines
The papilloma vaccine, a controversial solution
The danger of listening to the wrong people
Future challenges
Antibiotics: the offensive begins
Powerful poisons or a sophisticated messaging system?
Miracles with an expiry date
The microbes of the future
Resting on our laurels
The antibiotics of the future
Antivirals
Who pays the bills?
Control and prevention
4 The Danger of Knowing Too Much
The paradox: the more we research, the greater the danger
Dangerous information
Anthrax
Bioterrorists in the USA
The return of smallpox?
5 Forgotten Diseases and New Diseases
Meningitis
Cholera
West Nile virus
Ebola
Marburg: the other serious haemorrhagic fever
The 'forgotten' diseases
Chagas disease
Dengue
Hand, foot and mouth disease
6 Coronaviruses and Future Pandemics
Coronaviruses: the new plague?
SARS: the coronaviruses enter the scene
MERS, or camel sickness
COVID-19 changes everything
How to stop the virus
The vaccine race
The future of the pandemic
What lies ahead for SARS-CoV-2
Lessons from COVID-19: how to manage a crisis
And the next pandemic?
Where is the 'supervirus'?
How can we prevent the spread?
Part II Major Modern Epidemics
7 Influenza
The virus's thousand faces
The killer cold
A winter malady
A useful treatment
One vaccine or many vaccines?
The future of humanity depends on an egg
The danger of bird flu
The 2009 influenza pandemic
Drugs and the race against time
Epidemic or pandemic?
A change of hemispheres
Prepare for the worst
The consequences of the pandemic
8 AIDS
Another multifaceted virus
The African sickness
A scientists' squabble
The Nobel of discord
The silent infection
Necessary swift diagnosis
A miraculous treatment ... that doesn't cure
Side effects
The virus becomes more dangerous
Treatments for the future
And the famous vaccine?
Defence is the best attack
Where does the money come from?
Denialists: as dangerous as the virus
9 Tuberculosis
Koch's bacillus: an armoured microbe
A problem that comes back
The threat of resistant tuberculosis
New treatments, old treatments
Another disease with no vaccine
The tuberculosis that comes from cows
10 Malaria
All because of a mosquito
Goodwill is not enough
The treatment and how to get it to people who need it
Has the time of resistances come?
The controversial SPf66 vaccine
The army is also researching
Against the insects: mosquito nets and genetic engineering
Global action
A tropical disease only?
Epilogue
Glossary
Index
An ever-present danger
Let's do our homework
A tool for understanding the present and preparing for the future
Part I Sharing the World with Microorganisms
1 Travel Companions
They were here first
Peaceful passengers
The dark side
A bit of terminology
Bacteria
Viruses: the smallest life form?
Fungi: microscopic mushrooms
2 The Story of a Never-Ending Struggle
The invisible hand behind things
Rats, fleas, and bacteria
The 'Spanish' flu
The resuscitated virus
Smallpox, a disease of the past
Poliomyelitis: next on the list?
Cost in lives, cost in money
3 Our Arsenal
Simple but vital
The immune system
The next step forward: vaccines
Cancer vaccines
The papilloma vaccine, a controversial solution
The danger of listening to the wrong people
Future challenges
Antibiotics: the offensive begins
Powerful poisons or a sophisticated messaging system?
Miracles with an expiry date
The microbes of the future
Resting on our laurels
The antibiotics of the future
Antivirals
Who pays the bills?
Control and prevention
4 The Danger of Knowing Too Much
The paradox: the more we research, the greater the danger
Dangerous information
Anthrax
Bioterrorists in the USA
The return of smallpox?
5 Forgotten Diseases and New Diseases
Meningitis
Cholera
West Nile virus
Ebola
Marburg: the other serious haemorrhagic fever
The 'forgotten' diseases
Chagas disease
Dengue
Hand, foot and mouth disease
6 Coronaviruses and Future Pandemics
Coronaviruses: the new plague?
SARS: the coronaviruses enter the scene
MERS, or camel sickness
COVID-19 changes everything
How to stop the virus
The vaccine race
The future of the pandemic
What lies ahead for SARS-CoV-2
Lessons from COVID-19: how to manage a crisis
And the next pandemic?
Where is the 'supervirus'?
How can we prevent the spread?
Part II Major Modern Epidemics
7 Influenza
The virus's thousand faces
The killer cold
A winter malady
A useful treatment
One vaccine or many vaccines?
The future of humanity depends on an egg
The danger of bird flu
The 2009 influenza pandemic
Drugs and the race against time
Epidemic or pandemic?
A change of hemispheres
Prepare for the worst
The consequences of the pandemic
8 AIDS
Another multifaceted virus
The African sickness
A scientists' squabble
The Nobel of discord
The silent infection
Necessary swift diagnosis
A miraculous treatment ... that doesn't cure
Side effects
The virus becomes more dangerous
Treatments for the future
And the famous vaccine?
Defence is the best attack
Where does the money come from?
Denialists: as dangerous as the virus
9 Tuberculosis
Koch's bacillus: an armoured microbe
A problem that comes back
The threat of resistant tuberculosis
New treatments, old treatments
Another disease with no vaccine
The tuberculosis that comes from cows
10 Malaria
All because of a mosquito
Goodwill is not enough
The treatment and how to get it to people who need it
Has the time of resistances come?
The controversial SPf66 vaccine
The army is also researching
Against the insects: mosquito nets and genetic engineering
Global action
A tropical disease only?
Epilogue
Glossary
Index