Contested Epidemics

Download Contested Epidemics full books in PDF, epub, and Kindle. Read online Contested Epidemics ebook anywhere anytime directly on your device. Fast Download speed and no annoying ads. We cannot guarantee that every ebooks is available!

Contested Epidemics: Policy Responses In Brazil And The Us And What The Brics Can Learn

Author : Eduardo J Gomez
Publisher : World Scientific
ISBN 13 : 1783265167
Total Pages : 338 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (832 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Contested Epidemics: Policy Responses In Brazil And The Us And What The Brics Can Learn by : Eduardo J Gomez

Download or read book Contested Epidemics: Policy Responses In Brazil And The Us And What The Brics Can Learn written by Eduardo J Gomez and published by World Scientific. This book was released on 2014-09-17 with total page 338 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Despite their similar political and economic structures, Brazil and the United States have contrasting relationships with the international community as well as different policy approaches to the prevention and treatment of epidemics. In this regard, an interesting empirical puzzle arises: how and why was Brazil able to outpace the United States in its health policy response to epidemics?The aim of this book is to introduce a new, comparative area of scholarly research, combining for the first time international relations and domestic institutional theory to examine the United States and Brazil's health policy systems and their respective responses to epidemics. Conclusions are drawn from an in-depth examination of the actions taken and policies made with regard to tuberculosis, polio and HIV/AIDS epidemics in the two countries. Finally, the questions of what emerging BRICS nations can learn from the case of Brazil and to what extent they can adopt Brazil's innovative institutional and policy response to epidemics is considered, with a look to the future of global health diplomacy.This is the first book of its kind to compare the United States and Brazil in such a way, as well as the first to consider what other emerging BRICS countries can learn from Brazil. This fascinating comparison is a must-read for health policy and medical practitioners, academic scholars and students, and the general public with an interest in the international and domestic political conditions leading to policy adoption and implementation.

Contested Epidemics

Author : Eduardo J. Gómez
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9781783265145
Total Pages : 327 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (651 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Contested Epidemics by : Eduardo J. Gómez

Download or read book Contested Epidemics written by Eduardo J. Gómez and published by . This book was released on 2015 with total page 327 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Despite their similar political and economic structures, Brazil and the United States have contrasting relationships with the international community as well as different policy approaches to the prevention and treatment of epidemics. In this regard, an interesting empirical puzzle arises: how and why Brazil was able to outpace the United States in its health policy response to epidemics? The aim of this book is to introduce academic and non-academic audiences to a new, comparative area of scholarly research, combining for the first time international relations and domestic institutional theory to examine the United States and Brazil's health policy systems and their respective responses to epidemics. Conclusions are drawn from an in-depth examination of the actions taken and policies made with regard to tuberculosis, polio and HIV/AIDS epidemics in the two countries. Finally, the questions of what emerging BRICS nations can learn from the successful case of Brazil and to what extent they can adopt Brazil's innovative institutional and policy response to epidemics is considered, with a look to the future of global health diplomacy.This is the first book of its kind to compare the United States and Brazil in such a way, as well as the first to consider what other emerging BRICS countries can learn from Brazil. This fascinating comparison is a must-read for health policy and medical practitioners, academic scholars and students, and the general public with an interest in the international and domestic political conditions leading to policy adoption and implementation.

Contested Illnesses

Author : Phil Brown
Publisher : Univ of California Press
ISBN 13 : 0520950429
Total Pages : 342 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (29 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Contested Illnesses by : Phil Brown

Download or read book Contested Illnesses written by Phil Brown and published by Univ of California Press. This book was released on 2011-12-26 with total page 342 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The politics and science of health and disease remain contested terrain among scientists, health practitioners, policy makers, industry, communities, and the public. Stakeholders in disputes about illnesses or conditions disagree over their fundamental causes as well as how they should be treated and prevented. This thought-provoking book crosses disciplinary boundaries by engaging with both public health policy and social science, asserting that science, activism, and policy are not separate issues and showing how the contribution of environmental factors in disease is often overlooked.

Histories of Post-Mortem Contagion

Author : Christos Lynteris
Publisher : Springer
ISBN 13 : 3319629298
Total Pages : 238 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (196 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Histories of Post-Mortem Contagion by : Christos Lynteris

Download or read book Histories of Post-Mortem Contagion written by Christos Lynteris and published by Springer. This book was released on 2017-12-13 with total page 238 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This edited volume draws historians and anthropologists together to explore the contested worlds of epidemic corpses and their disposal. Why are burials so frequently at the center of disagreement, recrimination and protest during epidemics? Why are the human corpses produced in the course of infectious disease outbreaks seen as dangerous, not just to the living, but also to the continued existence of society and civilization? Examining cases from the Black Death to Ebola, contributors challenge the predominant idea that a single, universal framework of contagion can explain the political, social and cultural importance and impact of the epidemic corpse.

Epidemic Urbanism

Author : Mohammad Gharipour
Publisher : Intellect (UK)
ISBN 13 : 9781789384673
Total Pages : 408 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (846 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Epidemic Urbanism by : Mohammad Gharipour

Download or read book Epidemic Urbanism written by Mohammad Gharipour and published by Intellect (UK). This book was released on 2021-12-17 with total page 408 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Thirty-six interdisciplinary essays analyze the mutual relationship between historical epidemics and the built environment. Epidemic illnesses--not only a product of biology, but also social and cultural phenomena--are as old as cities themselves. The outbreak of COVID-19 in late 2019 brought the effects of epidemic illness on urban life into sharp focus, exposing the vulnerabilities of the societies it ravages as much as the bodies it infects. How might insights from the outbreak and responses to previous urban epidemics inform our understanding of the current world? With these questions in mind, Epidemic Urbanism gathers scholarship from a range of disciplines--including history, public health, sociology, anthropology, and medicine--to present historical case studies from across the globe, each demonstrating how cities are not just the primary place of exposure and quarantine, but also the site and instrument of intervention. They also demonstrate how epidemic illnesses, and responses to them, exploit and amplify social inequality in the communities they touch. Illustrated with more than 150 historical images, the essays illuminate the profound, complex ways epidemics have shaped the world around us and convey this information in a way that meaningfully engages a public readership.

Responding to Contested Epidemics: Democracy, International Pressures, and the Civic Sources of Institutional Change in the United States and Brazil

Download Responding to Contested Epidemics: Democracy, International Pressures, and the Civic Sources of Institutional Change in the United States and Brazil PDF Online Free

Author : Eduardo J. Gomez
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9780549897101
Total Pages : 535 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (971 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Responding to Contested Epidemics: Democracy, International Pressures, and the Civic Sources of Institutional Change in the United States and Brazil by : Eduardo J. Gomez

Download or read book Responding to Contested Epidemics: Democracy, International Pressures, and the Civic Sources of Institutional Change in the United States and Brazil written by Eduardo J. Gomez and published by . This book was released on 2008 with total page 535 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Why don't old and new democracies immediately respond to health epidemics? And especially within large, highly decentralized federations, why don't central governments create effective bureaucratic institutions that can help municipal governments immediately respond to the needs of civil society? These are the puzzling questions that motivated this doctoral research. What the findings in this dissertation reveal was that both well established democracies, such as the United States, and nascent ones, such as Brazil, did not immediately respond to the needs of civil society whenever new health epidemics emerged. Notwithstanding incessant pressures from civil society and public health bureaucrats, presidents and supportive congressional members only responded when epidemics either posed a direct national security threat or when global pressures created incentives to respond. As seen in the United States, since the early-20 th century epidemic threats to the military's fighting capabilities have prompted an immediate institution-building response: that is, the creation of new federal agencies and programs to assistant municipalities. Absent these conditions, and as recently seen with the fight against AIDS and obesity, the US has not responded in this manner. The government's continued isolation from the international health community has hampered institution-building efforts. In contrast, Brazil's continued receptivity to international pressures and eagerness to increase its reputation as a nation capable of combating disease has led to different institutional outcomes whenever new global pressures emerge. Since the early-20th century and up to the current response to AIDS, international pressures, reputation building, and securing the financial means to achieve this has led to a very aggressive and persistent institution-building effort. Absent these conditions, both historically and as recently seen with the response to Tuberculosis, this outcome has not occurred. Methodologically, this dissertation used a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods. With regards to qualitative methods, in-depth interviews, primary archival evidence, and case studies were used. Quantitatively, this work relied on epidemiological evidence obtained from departments of health in the United States and Brazil. All together, this works submits an in-depth historical and contemporary analysis of how the United States and Brazil responded to health epidemics throughout the 20th century.

Plagues and Epidemics

Author : D. Ann Herring
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1000181553
Total Pages : 317 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (1 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Plagues and Epidemics by : D. Ann Herring

Download or read book Plagues and Epidemics written by D. Ann Herring and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2020-06-15 with total page 317 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Until recently, plagues were thought to belong in the ancient past. Now there are deep worries about global pandemics. This book presents views from anthropology about this much publicized and complex problem. The authors take us to places where epidemics are erupting, waning, or gone, and to other places where they have not yet arrived, but where a frightening story line is already in place. They explore public health bureaucracies and political arenas where the power lies to make decisions about what is, and is not, an epidemic. They look back into global history to uncover disease trends and look ahead to a future of expanding plagues within the context of climate change. The chapters are written from a range of perspectives, from the science of modeling epidemics to the social science of understanding them. Patterns emerge when people are engulfed by diseases labeled as epidemics but which have the hallmarks of plague. There are cycles of shame and blame, stigma, isolation of the sick, fear of contagion, and end-of-the-world scenarios. Plague, it would seem, is still among us.

Epidemics Resulting from Wars

Author : Friedrich Prinzing
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 370 pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (42 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Epidemics Resulting from Wars by : Friedrich Prinzing

Download or read book Epidemics Resulting from Wars written by Friedrich Prinzing and published by . This book was released on 1916 with total page 370 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

American Contagions

Author : John Fabian Witt
Publisher : Yale University Press
ISBN 13 : 0300257775
Total Pages : 185 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (2 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis American Contagions by : John Fabian Witt

Download or read book American Contagions written by John Fabian Witt and published by Yale University Press. This book was released on 2020-08-31 with total page 185 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A concise history of how American law has shaped—and been shaped by—the experience of contagion“Contrarians and the civic-minded alike will find Witt’s legal survey a fascinating resource”—Kirkus, starred review “Professor Witt’s book is an original and thoughtful contribution to the interdisciplinary study of disease and American law. Although he covers the broad sweep of the American experience of epidemics from yellow fever to COVID-19, he is especially timely in his exploration of the legal background to the current disaster of the American response to the coronavirus. A thought-provoking, readable, and important work.”—Frank Snowden, author of Epidemics and Society From yellow fever to smallpox to polio to AIDS to COVID-19, epidemics have prompted Americans to make choices and answer questions about their basic values and their laws. In five concise chapters, historian John Fabian Witt traces the legal history of epidemics, showing how infectious disease has both shaped, and been shaped by, the law. Arguing that throughout American history legal approaches to public health have been liberal for some communities and authoritarian for others, Witt shows us how history’s answers to the major questions brought up by previous epidemics help shape our answers today: What is the relationship between individual liberty and the common good? What is the role of the federal government, and what is the role of the states? Will long-standing traditions of government and law give way to the social imperatives of an epidemic? Will we let the inequities of our mixed tradition continue?

Lazaretto

Author : David S. Barnes
Publisher : JHU Press
ISBN 13 : 1421446456
Total Pages : 309 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (214 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Lazaretto by : David S. Barnes

Download or read book Lazaretto written by David S. Barnes and published by JHU Press. This book was released on 2023-05-09 with total page 309 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: How the controversial practice of quarantine saved nineteenth-century Philadelphia after a series of deadly epidemics. In the 1790s, four devastating yellow fever epidemics threatened the survival of Philadelphia, the nation's capital and largest city. In response, the city built a new quarantine station called the Lazaretto downriver from its port. From 1801 to 1895, a strict quarantine was enforced there to protect the city against yellow fever, cholera, typhus, and other diseases. At the time, the science behind quarantine was hotly contested, and the Board of Health in Philadelphia was plagued by internal conflicts and political resistance. In Lazaretto, David Barnes tells the story of how a blend of pragmatism, improvisation, and humane care succeeded in treating seemingly incurable diseases and preventing further outbreaks. Barnes shares the lessons of the Lazaretto through a series of tragic and inspiring true stories of people caught up in the painful ordeal of quarantine. They include a nine-year-old girl enslaved in West Africa and freed upon arrival in Philadelphia, an eleven-year-old orphan boy who survived yellow fever only to be scapegoated for starting an epidemic, and a grieving widow who saved the Lazaretto in the midst of catastrophe. Spanning a turbulent century of immigration, urban growth, and social transformation, Lazaretto takes readers inside the life-and-death debates and ordinary heroism that saved Philadelphia when its survival as a city was at stake. Amid the controversy and tragedy of the COVID-19 pandemic, this surprising reappraisal of America's historic struggle against deadly epidemics reminds us not to neglect old knowledge and skills in our rush to embrace the new.

The Race to End Epidemics

Author : Robyn Hardyman
Publisher : The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc
ISBN 13 : 1477778411
Total Pages : 48 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (777 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis The Race to End Epidemics by : Robyn Hardyman

Download or read book The Race to End Epidemics written by Robyn Hardyman and published by The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc. This book was released on 2014-07-15 with total page 48 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The mastery of certain skills can only help students succeed in all areas of life, no matter what they do or where they do it. The toll that epidemics take, in terms of human life and economic stability, is monumental. The consequences when disease spreads are frequently as catastrophic as those wrought by wars and natural disasters. By dissecting the nature of epidemics and highlighting rampant diseases past and present, this book familiarizes readers with the dangers inherent in this looming health crisis. Discussion of personal steps students can take to help stem disease and what the future may hold are also included.

Epidemics

Author : Sarah Dry
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1136532218
Total Pages : 309 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (365 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Epidemics by : Sarah Dry

Download or read book Epidemics written by Sarah Dry and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2010-09-23 with total page 309 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Recent disease events such as SARS, H1N1 and avian influenza, and haemorrhagic fevers have focussed policy and public concern as never before on epidemics and so-called 'emerging infectious diseases'. Understanding and responding to these often unpredictable events have become major challenges for local, national and international bodies. All too often, responses can become restricted by implicit assumptions about who or what is to blame that may not capture the dynamics and uncertainties at play in the multi-scale interactions of people, animals and microbes. As a result, policies intended to forestall epidemics may fail, and may even further threaten health, livelihoods and human rights. The book takes a unique approach by focusing on how different policy-makers, scientists, and local populations construct alternative narratives-accounts of the causes and appropriate responses to outbreaks- about epidemics at the global, national and local level. The contrast between emergency-oriented, top-down responses to what are perceived as potentially global outbreaks and longer-term approaches to diseases, such as AIDS, which may now be considered endemic, is highlighted. Case studies-on avian influenza, SARS, obesity, H1N1 influenza, HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and haemorrhagic fevers-cover a broad historical, geographical and biological range. As this book explores, it is often the most vulnerable members of a population-the poor, the social excluded and the already ill-who are likely to suffer most from epidemic diseases. At the same time, they may be less likely to benefit from responses that may be designed from a global perspective that neglects social, ecological and political conditions on the ground. This book aims to bring the focus back to these marginal populations to reveal the often unintended consequences of current policy responses to epidemics. Important implications emerge - for how epidemics are thought about and represented; for how surveillance and response is designed; and for whose knowledge and perspectives should be included. Published in association with the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)

Constructing the Outbreak

Author : Katherine A. Foss
Publisher : UMass + ORM
ISBN 13 : 1613767781
Total Pages : 336 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (137 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Constructing the Outbreak by : Katherine A. Foss

Download or read book Constructing the Outbreak written by Katherine A. Foss and published by UMass + ORM. This book was released on 2020-09-25 with total page 336 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: When an epidemic strikes, media outlets are central to how an outbreak is framed and understood. While reporters construct stories intended to inform the public and convey essential information from doctors and politicians, news narratives also serve as historical records, capturing sentiments, responses, and fears throughout the course of the epidemic. Constructing the Outbreak demonstrates how news reporting on epidemics communicates more than just information about pathogens; rather, prejudices, political agendas, religious beliefs, and theories of disease also shape the message. Analyzing seven epidemics spanning more than two hundred years—from Boston's smallpox epidemic and Philadelphia's yellow fever epidemic in the eighteenth century to outbreaks of diphtheria, influenza, and typhoid in the early twentieth century—Katherine A. Foss discusses how shifts in journalism and medicine influenced the coverage, preservation, and fictionalization of different disease outbreaks. Each case study highlights facets of this interplay, delving into topics such as colonization, tourism, war, and politics. Through this investigation into what has been preserved and forgotten in the collective memory of disease, Foss sheds light on current health care debates, like vaccine hesitancy.

Epidemics and War

Author : Rebecca M. Seaman
Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing USA
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 404 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (16 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Epidemics and War by : Rebecca M. Seaman

Download or read book Epidemics and War written by Rebecca M. Seaman and published by Bloomsbury Publishing USA. This book was released on 2018-04-12 with total page 404 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Through its coverage of 19 epidemics associated with a broad range of wars, and blending medical knowledge, demographics, geographic, and medical information with historical and military insights, this book reveals the complex relationship between epidemics and wars throughout history. How did small pox have a tremendous effect on two distinct periods of war—one in which the disease devastated entire native armies and leadership, and the other in which technological advancements and the application of medical knowledge concerning the disease preserved an army and as a result changed the course of events? Epidemics and War: The Impact of Disease on Major Conflicts in History examines fascinating historical questions like this and dozens more, exploring a plethora of communicable diseases—viral, fungal, and/or bacterial in nature—that spread and impacted wars or were spread by some aspect of mass human conflict. Written by historians, medical doctors, and people with military backgrounds, the book presents a variety of viewpoints and research approaches. Each chapter examines an epidemic in relation to a period of war, demonstrating how the two impacted each other and affected the populations involved directly and indirectly. Starting with three still unknown/unidentified epidemics (ranging from Classical Athens to the Battle of Bosworth in England), the book's chapters explore a plethora of diseases that spread through wars or significantly impacted wars. The book also examines how long-ended wars can play a role in the spread of epidemics a generation later, as seen in the 21st-century mumps epidemic in Bosnia, 15 to 20 years after the Bosnian conflicts of the 1990s.

When Disease Makes History

Author : Pekka Hämäläinen
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 332 pages
Book Rating : 4.F/5 ( download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis When Disease Makes History by : Pekka Hämäläinen

Download or read book When Disease Makes History written by Pekka Hämäläinen and published by . This book was released on 2006 with total page 332 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Epidemics

Author : Sarah Dry
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1136532226
Total Pages : 308 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (365 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Epidemics by : Sarah Dry

Download or read book Epidemics written by Sarah Dry and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2010-09-23 with total page 308 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Recent disease events such as SARS, H1N1 and avian influenza, and haemorrhagic fevers have focussed policy and public concern as never before on epidemics and so-called 'emerging infectious diseases'. Understanding and responding to these often unpredictable events have become major challenges for local, national and international bodies. All too often, responses can become restricted by implicit assumptions about who or what is to blame that may not capture the dynamics and uncertainties at play in the multi-scale interactions of people, animals and microbes. As a result, policies intended to forestall epidemics may fail, and may even further threaten health, livelihoods and human rights. The book takes a unique approach by focusing on how different policy-makers, scientists, and local populations construct alternative narratives-accounts of the causes and appropriate responses to outbreaks- about epidemics at the global, national and local level. The contrast between emergency-oriented, top-down responses to what are perceived as potentially global outbreaks and longer-term approaches to diseases, such as AIDS, which may now be considered endemic, is highlighted. Case studies-on avian influenza, SARS, obesity, H1N1 influenza, HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and haemorrhagic fevers-cover a broad historical, geographical and biological range. As this book explores, it is often the most vulnerable members of a population-the poor, the social excluded and the already ill-who are likely to suffer most from epidemic diseases. At the same time, they may be less likely to benefit from responses that may be designed from a global perspective that neglects social, ecological and political conditions on the ground. This book aims to bring the focus back to these marginal populations to reveal the often unintended consequences of current policy responses to epidemics. Important implications emerge - for how epidemics are thought about and represented; for how surveillance and response is designed; and for whose knowledge and perspectives should be included. Published in association with the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)

World Atlas of Epidemic Diseases

Author : Smallman-Raynor Matthew
Publisher : CRC Press
ISBN 13 : 0340761717
Total Pages : 225 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (47 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis World Atlas of Epidemic Diseases by : Smallman-Raynor Matthew

Download or read book World Atlas of Epidemic Diseases written by Smallman-Raynor Matthew and published by CRC Press. This book was released on 2004-04-30 with total page 225 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The euphoria about the defeat of epidemics which surrounded the global eradication of smallpox in the 1970s proved short-lived. The advent of AIDS in the following decade, the widening spectrum of other newly-emergent diseases (from Ebola to Hanta virus), and the resurgence of old diseases such as tuberculosis and malaria all suggest that the threat of epidemic diseases remains at an historic high. The World Atlas of Epidemic Diseases provides a timely and scholarly review of over fifty of the most important such diseases at the start of the twenty-first century. This stunningly presented collection of maps, illustrations and commentary offers an authoritative overview of the global distribution of major epidemic diseases on a variety of spatial scales from the local to the global. The Atlas is arranged in an historical sequence, beginning with classic plagues such as the 'Black Death' and cholera and moving on through smallpox and measles to 'modern' diseases such as AIDS and Legionnaires' disease. Over 400 figures are incorporated, including 150 specially drawn maps supported by micrographs of the causative agents, photographs of the disease vectors, historical prints and graphs of changing incidence. The text for each disease includes discussion of its nature and epidemiological features, its origin (where known) and historical impacts, and its global status at the start of the twenty-first century. The book concludes with an informed look towards the future, assessing the probable impacts of major medical advances on life expectancy and the chances of success of programmes for the global eradication of diseases such as polio and measles. The World Atlas of Epidemic Diseases makes a major new contribution to our knowledge of the global burden of disease and is an informative and fascinating reference on the changing distributions of disease. It will be an invaluable resource for anyone interested in the spread, control and eradication of epidemic disease.