Bird Flu: A Rising Pandemic In Asia And Beyond?

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Publisher : World Scientific
ISBN 13 : 9814478008
Total Pages : 268 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (144 download)

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Book Synopsis Bird Flu: A Rising Pandemic In Asia And Beyond? by : Ping-chung Leung

Download or read book Bird Flu: A Rising Pandemic In Asia And Beyond? written by Ping-chung Leung and published by World Scientific. This book was released on 2006-04-25 with total page 268 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Chickens cannot be bought in Vietnam restaurants for love or money. New reports are emerging every week of the global reach of avian influenza in birds. Africa and Europe are now affected by what was thought to be an Asian poultry disease. Governments worldwide are stockpiling antiviral drugs and forming rationing plans. Citizens are concerned that they will not be in “the list” of those who will receive these wonder drugs. Reports are emerging of antiviral drug resistance as the influenza virus mutates.What is the influenza virus? Why are people so worried about pandemic influenza? What is a pandemic? Will it really happen? What is the real situation of avian influenza in humans in Asia? What are governments in the region doing to control the epidemic in birds? Are we overreacting to a couple of hundred cases in humans across Asia and Europe? What if there is no pandemic?In this timely book, a group of experts from across Asia come together to answer these and other issues. While there are many questions which can never be answered, here for the first time is a series of scholarly articles written for the layperson by scientists and clinicians addressing the issues surrounding avian influenza and global pandemic influenza in humans.

130 Years of Medicine in Hong Kong

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Author :
Publisher : Springer
ISBN 13 : 9811063168
Total Pages : 526 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (11 download)

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Book Synopsis 130 Years of Medicine in Hong Kong by : Frank Ching

Download or read book 130 Years of Medicine in Hong Kong written by Frank Ching and published by Springer. This book was released on 2018-03-14 with total page 526 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book reviews the medical history of Hong Kong, beginning with its birth as a British colony. It introduces the origins of Hong Kong’s medical education, which began in 1887 when the London Missionary Society set up the Hong Kong College of Medicine for Chinese. When the University of Hong Kong was established in 1911, the College became its medical faculty. The faculty has gained distinction over the years for innovative surgical techniques, for discovering the SARS virus and for its contribution to advances in medical and health sciences. This book is meant for general readers as well as medical practitioners. It is a work for anyone interested in Hong Kong or in medical education.

Global Spread of the Avian Flu

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Publisher : Nova Publishers
ISBN 13 : 9781600210112
Total Pages : 160 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (11 download)

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Book Synopsis Global Spread of the Avian Flu by : Marilyn R. Bethe

Download or read book Global Spread of the Avian Flu written by Marilyn R. Bethe and published by Nova Publishers. This book was released on 2006 with total page 160 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Avian influenza, or 'bird flu', is a contagious disease of animals caused by viruses that normally infect only birds and, less commonly, pigs. Avian influenza viruses are highly species-specific, but have, on rare occasions, crossed the species barrier to infect humans. In domestic poultry, infection with avian influenza viruses causes two main forms of disease, distinguished by low and high extremes of virulence. The so-called "low pathogenic" form commonly causes only mild symptoms (ruffled feathers, a drop in egg production) and may easily go undetected. The highly pathogenic form is far more dramatic. It spreads very rapidly through poultry flocks, causes disease affecting multiple internal organs, and has a mortality that can approach 100%, often within 48 hours. A pandemic can start when three conditions have been met: a new influenza virus subtype emerges; it infects humans, causing serious illness; and it spreads easily and sustainably among humans. The H5N1 virus amply meets the first two conditions: it is a new virus for humans (H5N1 viruses have never circulated widely among people), and it has infected more than 100 humans, killing over half of them. No one will have immunity should an H5N1-like pandemic virus emerge. All prerequisites for the start of a pandemic have therefore been met save one: the establishment of efficient and sustained human-to-human transmission of the virus. The risk that the H5N1 virus will acquire this ability will persist as long as opportunities for human infections occur. These opportunities, in turn, will persist as long as the virus continues to circulate in birds, and this situation could endure for some years to come.

The Fatal Strain

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Author :
Publisher : Penguin
ISBN 13 : 110114551X
Total Pages : 412 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (11 download)

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Book Synopsis The Fatal Strain by : Alan Sipress

Download or read book The Fatal Strain written by Alan Sipress and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2009-11-12 with total page 412 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In 2009, Swine Flu reminded us that pandemics still happen, and award- winning journalist Alan Sipress reminds us that far worse could be brewing. When a highly lethal strain of avian flu broke out in Asia in 2003 and raced westward, Sipress, as a reporter for The Washington Post, tracked the virus across nine countries, watching its secrets elude the world's brightest scientists and most intrepid disease hunters. A vivid portrayal of the struggle between man and microbe, The Fatal Strain is a fast-moving account that weaves cultural, political, and scientific strands into a tale of inevitable pandemic.

Perspectives on Research with H5N1 Avian Influenza

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Author :
Publisher : National Academies Press
ISBN 13 : 0309267781
Total Pages : 133 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (92 download)

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Book Synopsis Perspectives on Research with H5N1 Avian Influenza by : National Research Council

Download or read book Perspectives on Research with H5N1 Avian Influenza written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2013-04-04 with total page 133 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: When, in late 2011, it became public knowledge that two research groups had submitted for publication manuscripts that reported on their work on mammalian transmissibility of a lethal H5N1 avian influenza strain, the information caused an international debate about the appropriateness and communication of the researchers' work, the risks associated with the work, partial or complete censorship of scientific publications, and dual-use research of concern in general. Recognizing that the H5N1 research is only the most recent scientific activity subject to widespread attention due to safety and security concerns, on May 1, 2012, the National Research Council's Committee on Science, Technology and Law, in conjunction with the Board on Life Sciences and the Institute of Medicine's Forum on Microbial Threats, convened a one-day public workshop for the purposes of 1) discussing the H5N1 controversy; 2) considering responses by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), which had funded this research, the World Health Organization, the U.S. National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity (NSABB), scientific publishers, and members of the international research community; and 3) providing a forum wherein the concerns and interests of the broader community of stakeholders, including policy makers, biosafety and biosecurity experts, non-governmental organizations, international organizations, and the general public might be articulated. Perspectives on Research with H5N1 Avian Influenza: Scientific Enquiry, Communication, Controversy summarizes the proceedings of the workshop.

Everything You Need to Know about Bird Flu

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Author :
Publisher : Pan Macmillan
ISBN 13 : 9781405095730
Total Pages : 228 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (957 download)

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Book Synopsis Everything You Need to Know about Bird Flu by : Jo Revill

Download or read book Everything You Need to Know about Bird Flu written by Jo Revill and published by Pan Macmillan. This book was released on 2005 with total page 228 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Humans have no natural immunity to bird flu. Its symptoms are severe and can lead to death within five to six days. While so far all victims have caught the virus directly from infected birds, many scientists fear that it is just a matter of time before the virus mutates and begins to spread from human to human, leading to a pandemic that could kill up to 40 million people around the world. Cutting through the deluge of news stories about bird flu, this definitive guide explains how the bird flu virus works, the harm that it has already caused in Asia, why it will be so deadly if it begins to spread between humans, and what has been done so far to protect communities from the threat (not enough, many scientists fear). It will look at the antiviral drugs which offer us short-term protection, but also investigate why we have done so little to invest in vaccine development. In addition to giving the background story of the bird flu pandemic, the book is full of practical information on what people can do to protect themselves, including advice from experts on how to boost the immune system and procedures to follow if the pandemic arrives. Everyone needs to know as much as they can abo

The Domestic and International Impacts of the 2009-H1N1 Influenza A Pandemic

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Author :
Publisher : National Academies Press
ISBN 13 : 0309146771
Total Pages : 440 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (91 download)

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Book Synopsis The Domestic and International Impacts of the 2009-H1N1 Influenza A Pandemic by : Institute of Medicine

Download or read book The Domestic and International Impacts of the 2009-H1N1 Influenza A Pandemic written by Institute of Medicine and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2010-07-04 with total page 440 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In March and early April 2009, a new, swine-origin 2009-H1N1 influenza A virus emerged in Mexico and the United States. During the first few weeks of surveillance, the virus spread by human-to-human transmission worldwide to over 30 countries. On June 11, 2009, the World Health Organization (WHO) raised the worldwide pandemic alert level to Phase 6 in response to the ongoing global spread of the novel influenza A (H1N1) virus. By October 30, 2009, the H1N1 influenza A had spread to 191 countries and resulted in 5,700 fatalities. A national emergency was declared in the United States and the swine flu joined SARS and the avian flu as pandemics of the 21st century. Vaccination is currently available, but in limited supply, and with a 60 percent effectiveness rate against the virus. The story of how this new influenza virus spread out of Mexico to other parts of North America and then on to Europe, the Far East, and now Australia and the Pacific Rim countries has its origins in the global interconnectedness of travel, trade, and tourism. Given the rapid spread of the virus, the international scientific, public health, security, and policy communities had to mobilize quickly to characterize this unique virus and address its potential effects. The World Health Organization and Centers for Disease Control have played critical roles in the surveillance, detection and responses to the H1N1 virus. The Domestic and International Impacts of the 2009-H1N1 Influenza A Pandemic: Global Challenges, Global Solutions aimed to examine the evolutionary origins of the H1N1 virus and evaluate its potential public health and socioeconomic consequences, while monitoring and mitigating the impact of a fast-moving pandemic. The rapporteurs for this workshop reported on the need for increased and geographically robust global influenza vaccine production capacities; enhanced and sustained interpandemic demand for seasonal influenza vaccines; clear "triggers" for pandemic alert levels; and accelerated research collaboration on new vaccine manufacturing techniques. This book will be an essential guide for healthcare professionals, policymakers, drug manufacturers and investigators.

U.S. and International Responses to the Global Spread of Avian Flu

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Author :
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 51 pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (419 download)

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Book Synopsis U.S. and International Responses to the Global Spread of Avian Flu by : Tiaji Salaam-Blyther

Download or read book U.S. and International Responses to the Global Spread of Avian Flu written by Tiaji Salaam-Blyther and published by . This book was released on 2006 with total page 51 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: One strain of avian influenza currently identified in Asia and Europe is known as Influenza A/H5N1. Although it is a bird flu, it has infected a relatively small number of people -- killing about 50% of those infected. Scientists are unsure if H5N1 will cause the next influenza pandemic, but there is general consensus that one is overdue. Flue pandemics have occurred cyclically, roughly between every 30 and 50 years. Since 1997, when the first human contacted H5N1 in Hong Kong, the virus has resurfaced and spread to more than a dozen countries in Asia and Europe -- infecting more than 140 people and killing approximately half. Britain and Taiwan both reported avian flu cases of H5N1 in 2005. In the latter cases, the infected birds were identified as imports, and died in quarantine. A global influenza pandemic could have a number of consequences. Global competition for existing vaccines and treatments could ensue. Some governments might restrict the export of vaccines or other supplies in order to treat their own population. Some countries might face a shortage of vaccines, antiviral medication, or other medical equipment, because of limited global supply. Hospitality and airline industries, and international trade could be negatively impacted. If global travel and trade were to suddenly drop, there could be productivity losses and service disruptions. Essential workers might become ill or stay home out of fear of contracting the virus. Such workers could include law enforcement, medical personnel, mass transit drivers and engineers, and other crucial emergency personnel. For FY2006, Congress has provided $25 million for global initiatives to prepare for pandemic influenza through Foreign Operations appropriations; directed $33.5 million to global disease detection through Labor, HHS, and Education appropriations; and reserved for international avian flu efforts a portion of $3.8 billion through Defense appropriations. Bills introduced in the 109th Congress would increase U.S. resources allocated to the global fight against avian flu; develop a "Pandemic Fund" to augment ongoing U.S. and international avian flu and pandemic preparedness initiatives; increase funding for preventing the spread among animals of the H5N1 virus; and strengthen surveillance capacity within affected countries. This report will provide an up-to-date account of global H5N1-related human infections and deaths, outline U.S. government and international responses to the global spread of H5N1, discuss situations in various countries affected by H5N1, and present some foreign policy issues for Congress.

Viruses and Man: A History of Interactions

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Author :
Publisher : Springer
ISBN 13 : 3319077589
Total Pages : 433 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (19 download)

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Book Synopsis Viruses and Man: A History of Interactions by : Milton W. Taylor

Download or read book Viruses and Man: A History of Interactions written by Milton W. Taylor and published by Springer. This book was released on 2014-07-21 with total page 433 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Milton Taylor, Indiana University, offers an easy-to-read and fascinating text describing the impact of viruses on human society. The book starts with an analysis of the profound effect that viral epidemics had on world history resulting in demographic upheavals by destroying total populations. It also provides a brief history of virology and immunology. Furthermore, the use of viruses for the treatment of cancer (viral oncolysis or virotherapy) and bacterial diseases (phage therapy) and as vectors in gene therapy is discussed in detail. Several chapters focus on viral diseases such as smallpox, influenza, polio, hepatitis and their control, as well as on HIV and AIDS and on some emerging viruses with an interesting story attached to their discovery or vaccine development. The book closes with a chapter on biological weapons. It will serve as an invaluable source of information for beginners in the field of virology as well as for experienced virologists, other academics, students, and readers without prior knowledge of virology or molecular biology.

Learning from SARS

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Publisher : National Academies Press
ISBN 13 : 0309182158
Total Pages : 376 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (91 download)

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Book Synopsis Learning from SARS by : Institute of Medicine

Download or read book Learning from SARS written by Institute of Medicine and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2004-04-26 with total page 376 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The emergence of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in late 2002 and 2003 challenged the global public health community to confront a novel epidemic that spread rapidly from its origins in southern China until it had reached more than 25 other countries within a matter of months. In addition to the number of patients infected with the SARS virus, the disease had profound economic and political repercussions in many of the affected regions. Recent reports of isolated new SARS cases and a fear that the disease could reemerge and spread have put public health officials on high alert for any indications of possible new outbreaks. This report examines the response to SARS by public health systems in individual countries, the biology of the SARS coronavirus and related coronaviruses in animals, the economic and political fallout of the SARS epidemic, quarantine law and other public health measures that apply to combating infectious diseases, and the role of international organizations and scientific cooperation in halting the spread of SARS. The report provides an illuminating survey of findings from the epidemic, along with an assessment of what might be needed in order to contain any future outbreaks of SARS or other emerging infections.

Avian Influenza in Poultry and Wild Birds

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Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 15 pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (822 download)

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Book Synopsis Avian Influenza in Poultry and Wild Birds by : James Monke

Download or read book Avian Influenza in Poultry and Wild Birds written by James Monke and published by . This book was released on 2007 with total page 15 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Epidemics in Modern Asia

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Publisher : Cambridge University Press
ISBN 13 : 1316546179
Total Pages : 379 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (165 download)

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Book Synopsis Epidemics in Modern Asia by : Robert Peckham

Download or read book Epidemics in Modern Asia written by Robert Peckham and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2016-04-28 with total page 379 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Epidemics have played a critical role in shaping modern Asia. Encompassing two centuries of Asian history, Robert Peckham explores the profound impact that infectious disease has had on societies across the region: from India to China and the Russian Far East. The book tracks the links between biology, history, and geopolitics, highlighting infectious disease's interdependencies with empire, modernization, revolution, nationalism, migration, and transnational patterns of trade. By examining the history of Asia through the lens of epidemics, Peckham vividly illustrates how society's material conditions are entangled with social and political processes, offering an entirely fresh perspective on Asia's transformation.

Flu

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Author :
Publisher : Farrar, Straus and Giroux
ISBN 13 : 1429979356
Total Pages : 378 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (299 download)

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Book Synopsis Flu by : Gina Kolata

Download or read book Flu written by Gina Kolata and published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux. This book was released on 2011-04-01 with total page 378 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Veteran journalist Gina Kolata's Flu: The Story of the Great Influenza Pandemic of 1918 and the Search for the Virus That Caused It presents a fascinating look at true story of the world's deadliest disease. In 1918, the Great Flu Epidemic felled the young and healthy virtually overnight. An estimated forty million people died as the epidemic raged. Children were left orphaned and families were devastated. As many American soldiers were killed by the 1918 flu as were killed in battle during World War I. And no area of the globe was safe. Eskimos living in remote outposts in the frozen tundra were sickened and killed by the flu in such numbers that entire villages were wiped out. Scientists have recently rediscovered shards of the flu virus frozen in Alaska and preserved in scraps of tissue in a government warehouse. Gina Kolata, an acclaimed reporter for The New York Times, unravels the mystery of this lethal virus with the high drama of a great adventure story. Delving into the history of the flu and previous epidemics, detailing the science and the latest understanding of this mortal disease, Kolata addresses the prospects for a great epidemic recurring, and, most important, what can be done to prevent it.

Population Dynamics and Infectious Diseases in Asia

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Author :
Publisher : World Scientific
ISBN 13 : 9812568336
Total Pages : 463 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (125 download)

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Book Synopsis Population Dynamics and Infectious Diseases in Asia by : Adrian Sleigh

Download or read book Population Dynamics and Infectious Diseases in Asia written by Adrian Sleigh and published by World Scientific. This book was released on 2006 with total page 463 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Initially stimulated by a scholarly workshop convened in Singapore in late 2004, and written over the subsequent 18 months, this volume considers the potentially lethal pattern of infectious disease emergence in Asia. It studies linkages to changes in patterns of human activity, including but not limited to shifts in the distribution and concentration of human settlements and the patterns of movement within and between them. It explores the causes and consequences of infectious agents in the region historically and examines such newly emergent natural biological threats as SARS and avian influenza.Drawing on a range of disciplinary perspectives, the book contains analyses rooted in the social, physical and biological sciences as well as works which span these fields. Among the issues considered are the ways in which changes in our natural and built environment, social and economic pressures, shifting policies and patterns of collaboration in responding to disease impact upon our approach to and success in containing serious threats.Infection control has moved beyond the province of clinical experts, epidemiologists and microbiologists, into the mathematics of epidemic prevention and control, as well as the overall physical and human ecology and historical contexts of emerging infections. Not only does such a broad approach enable appreciation of complex forces driving growing epidemic risks in Asia today, it also reveals the importance and relevance of population dynamics, as well as the global urgency of alleviating unsatisfactory health conditions in Asia. The topic and the broad approach has international appeal beyond the region as many of these forces operate throughout the world.

The Threat of Pandemic Influenza

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Author :
Publisher : National Academies Press
ISBN 13 : 0309095042
Total Pages : 431 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (9 download)

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Book Synopsis The Threat of Pandemic Influenza by : Institute of Medicine

Download or read book The Threat of Pandemic Influenza written by Institute of Medicine and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2005-04-09 with total page 431 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Public health officials and organizations around the world remain on high alert because of increasing concerns about the prospect of an influenza pandemic, which many experts believe to be inevitable. Moreover, recent problems with the availability and strain-specificity of vaccine for annual flu epidemics in some countries and the rise of pandemic strains of avian flu in disparate geographic regions have alarmed experts about the world's ability to prevent or contain a human pandemic. The workshop summary, The Threat of Pandemic Influenza: Are We Ready? addresses these urgent concerns. The report describes what steps the United States and other countries have taken thus far to prepare for the next outbreak of "killer flu." It also looks at gaps in readiness, including hospitals' inability to absorb a surge of patients and many nations' incapacity to monitor and detect flu outbreaks. The report points to the need for international agreements to share flu vaccine and antiviral stockpiles to ensure that the 88 percent of nations that cannot manufacture or stockpile these products have access to them. It chronicles the toll of the H5N1 strain of avian flu currently circulating among poultry in many parts of Asia, which now accounts for the culling of millions of birds and the death of at least 50 persons. And it compares the costs of preparations with the costs of illness and death that could arise during an outbreak.

Exploring Lessons Learned from a Century of Outbreaks

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Author :
Publisher : National Academies Press
ISBN 13 : 0309490359
Total Pages : 231 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (94 download)

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Book Synopsis Exploring Lessons Learned from a Century of Outbreaks by : National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine

Download or read book Exploring Lessons Learned from a Century of Outbreaks written by National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2019-06-05 with total page 231 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In November 2018, an ad hoc planning committee at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine planned two sister workshops held in Washington, DC, to examine the lessons from influenza pandemics and other major outbreaks, understand the extent to which the lessons have been learned, and discuss how they could be applied further to ensure that countries are sufficiently ready for future pandemics. This publication summarizes the presentations and discussions from both workshops.

Pandemics

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Publisher : Oxford University Press
ISBN 13 : 0199898111
Total Pages : 268 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (998 download)

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Book Synopsis Pandemics by : Peter C. Doherty

Download or read book Pandemics written by Peter C. Doherty and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2013-07-31 with total page 268 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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: What Everyone Needs to Know®, 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. What Everyone Needs to Know® is a registered trademark of Oxford University Press.