Pandemics : What Everyone Needs to Know - Peter C. Doherty

Pandemics

What Everyone Needs to Know

By: Peter C. Doherty

Paperback | 10 September 2013

At a Glance

Paperback


RRP $30.95

$28.75

or 4 interest-free payments of $7.19 with

Aims to ship in 5 to 10 business days

When will this arrive by?
Enter delivery postcode to estimate

Nobel Laureate Peter Doherty offers a level-headed guide to all aspects of pandemics-what they are, how they spread, and what we can do to prevent them.

Pandemics. The word conjures up images of horrific diseases sweeping the globe and killing everyone in their path. But such highly lethal illnesses almost never create pandemics. The reality is deadly serious but far more subtle.

In Pandemics , Peter Doherty, who won the Nobel Prize for his work on how the immune system recognizes virus-infected cells, offers an essential guide to one of the truly life-or-death issues of our age. In concise, question-and-answer format, he explains the causes of pandemics, how they can be counteracted with vaccines and drugs, and how we can better prepare for them in the future. Doherty notes that the term "pandemic" refers not to a disease's severity but to its ability to spread rapidly over a wide geographical area. Extremely lethal pathogens are usually quickly identified and confined. Nevertheless, the rise of high-speed transportation networks and the globalization of trade and travel have radically accelerated the spread of diseases. A traveler from Africa arrived in New York in 1999 carrying the West Nile virus; one mosquito bite later, it was loose in the ecosystem. Doherty explains how the main threat of a pandemic comes from respiratory viruses, such as influenza and SARS, which disseminate with incredible speed through air travel. The climate disruptions of global warming, rising population density, and growing antibiotic resistance all complicate efforts to control pandemics. But Doherty stresses that pandemics can be fought effectively. Often simple health practices, especially in hospitals, can help enormously. And research into the animal reservoirs of pathogens, from SARS in bats to HIV in chimpanzees, show promise for our prevention efforts.

Calm, clear, and authoritative, Peter Doherty's Pandemics is one of the most critically important additions to the What Everyone Needs to Know series.Read Peter Doherty's blog post - Vaccination: what are the risks? 

About the Author

Peter C. Doherty is Chairman of the Department of Immunology at St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital, and a Laureate Professor of Microbiology and Immunology at the University of Melbourne. He is the author of The Beginner's Guide to Winning the Nobel Prize: Advice for Young Scientists.
Industry Reviews
"A gem of a book... Relevant biological, epidemiological and political concepts are explained and scientific cant illuminated in Q and A diversions.These include a most clear and pertinent précis of what immunity means, which is no mean feat. At the same time Doherty is not above asking (and then answering) earthier questions such as: 'What is snot?'" - Adam Jenney, COSMOS Magazine

Other Editions and Formats

Hardcover

Published: 14th November 2013

What Everyone Needs to Know

Brexit : What Everyone Needs to Know - David Allen Green
Pandemics : What Everyone Needs to Know - Peter C. Doherty

RRP $30.95

$28.75

Spain : What Everyone Needs to Know - William Chislett

RRP $38.95

$34.75

11%
OFF
Venezuela : What Everyone Needs to Know - Miguel Tinker Salas
Nuclear Energy : What Everyone Needs to Know - Charles D. Ferguson
Overfishing : What Everyone Needs to Know - Ray Hilborn

RRP $49.68

$40.23

19%
OFF
Turkey : What Everyone Needs to Know - Andrew Finkel

RRP $34.95

$31.75

Kosovo : What Everyone Needs to Know - Tim Judah

RRP $32.95

$30.25

Libertarianism : What Everyone Needs to Know - Jason Brennan
India in the 21st Century : What Everyone Needs to Know - Mira Kamdar
Gender : What Everyone Needs to Know - Laura Erickson-Schroth

RRP $41.95

$35.95

14%
OFF
Nigeria : What Everyone Needs to Know - John Campbell

RRP $34.95

$31.75

The White Working Class : What Everyone Needs to Know - Justin Gest
Copyright : What Everyone Needs to Know - Neil Weinstock Netanel

RRP $33.95

$30.90

Vaccines : What Everyone Needs to Know - Kristen A. Feemster

RRP $32.95

$30.25

Privacy : What Everyone Needs to Know - Leslie P. Francis

RRP $32.95

$30.25

Advertising : What Everyone Needs to Know - Mara Einstein

RRP $45.62

$40.23

12%
OFF

Other Books By Peter C. Doherty

Pandemics : What Everyone Needs to Know - Peter C. Doherty

RRP $30.95

$28.75

Incidental Tourist - Peter C. Doherty

RRP $29.99

$27.90

Empire, War, Tennis and Me - Peter Doherty

RRP $32.99

$30.25