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Pandemics: Our Fears and the Facts
History books abound with accounts of large scale destruction wrought by infectious disease. As recently as 1918, a pandemic of influenza claimed over 50 million lives worldwide. The advent of drugs and vaccines led to an era of hope when we thought our battles with infectious disease were won, but our optimism has been eroded by the recognition that many pathogens have the capacity to transform themselves and escape our efforts to eradicate them. Are we now facing an inevitable repeat of a calamity such as the 1918 influenza pandemic or the Black Death? Can we anticipate and thwart such an event, or are we wilfully creating the conditions that would promote the emergence of new and highly virulent human infectious disease? Sunetra Gupta is Professor of Theoretical Epidemiology at the University of Oxford specialising in infectious diseases. She holds a bachelor's degree from Princeton University and a Ph.D. from the University of London. She has been awarded the Scientific Medal by the Zoological Society of London and the Royal Society Rosalind Franklin Award for her scientific research. She is also a novelist whose books have been awarded the Sahitya Akademi Award, the Southern Arts Literature Prize, shortlisted for the Crossword Award, and longlisted for the DSC and Orange Prizes.
30 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 6, 2013
20 people are currently reading
72 people want to read
About the author
Sunetra Gupta
11 books22 followersSunetra Gupta is an acclaimed novelist, essayist and scientist. In October 2012 her fifth novel, So Good in Black, was longlisted for the DSC Prize for South Asian Literature. In 2009 she was named as the winner of the Royal Society Rosalind Franklin Award for her scientific achievements. Sunetra, who lives in Oxford with her husband and two daughters, is Professor of Theoretical Epidemiology at Oxford University's Department of Zoology, having graduated in 1987 from Princeton University and received her PhD from the University of London in 1992. Sunetra was born in Calcutta in 1965 and wrote her first works of fiction in Bengali. She is an accomplished translator of the poetry of Rabindranath Tagore.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
January 6, 2015
Pandemics: Our Fears and the Facts (Kindle Single) by Sunetra Gupta
“Pandemics" is a helpful but limited 30-page reference guide on pandemics. Doctor Gupta a Professor of Theoretical Epidemiology at the University of Oxford and novelist takes the reader on a quick journey of infectious diseases and their potential to harm us.
Positives:
1. A well-written concise book on infectious diseases.
2. The fascinating topic of infectious diseases.
3. Reads like a solid college essay.
4. Dr. Gupta does a good job of keeping the subject matter in perspective.
5. Does a good job of defining key terms. “A pandemic is simply an infectious disease which has crossed continents and disseminated worldwide.”
6. The power of a pandemic clearly shown. “By contrast, the ‘Spanish flu’ pandemic of 1918 took the lives of around 50 million people, many of them young adults rather than the infants and the elderly who are the influenza virus’s more common victims.”
7. Explains the source of infectious diseases. “Infectious disease is the product of an ecological association between two species: ourselves and the bugs.”
8. Goes over some of the most noteworthy historical pandemics.
9. Interesting look at attempts to contain infectious diseases. “Several methods of containing them were tried — including a rabbit-proof fence to keep them out of Western Australia — but it was not until 1950 that a viable solution was found in the form of a lethal virus known as myxoma (a cousin of smallpox). When deliberately released into the rabbit population, myxomatosis reduced it by almost 90% within a few years.”
10. A look at malaria. “The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that there were about 200 million malaria cases in 2010, and 650,000 deaths — the bulk of these would have been among children under five in sub-Saharan Africa.”
11. Explains why some diseases have been eradicated while others have staying power.
12. Provides some ideas on how to control the spread. “It goes without saying that investing in stable health care systems in the countries where such diseases are likely to arise, particularly by ensuring that vaccination and other preventive measures are prioritized in public health programs, will benefit everybody.”
Negatives:
1. No supplementary materials to speak off that would have added much value. A list of the top historical diseases with timelines would have been appreciated.
2. Way too brief to be a main course, a mere appetizer.
3. Doesn’t explain the difference between virus or bacteria, or the difference between RNA and DNA.
4. Doesn’t really go into bioterrorism.
5. At times inspires more questions than answers. “This immunological memory sometimes extends to related pathogens: thus infection by one strain of influenza may provide some measure of protection against another strain, a phenomenon known as cross-immunity.” So how does the body develop such memories?
6. Could have done a better job of explaining how evolution works.
7. Better formatting would have highlighted key facts.
In summary, this is an average and concise look at pandemics. Poor formatting and lack of depth keeps Pandemics from captivating the public. What’s here is good and interesting but not enough to, dare I say it?, go viral. Average book but with Kindle Unlimited can be read with no guilt.
Further recommendations: “Pandemics: What Everyone Needs to Know” by Peter C. Doherty, “Spillover” by David Quammen, “The Coming Plague” by Laurie Garrett, “What Should We Be Worried About” by John Brockman, “The Hot Zone” by Richard Preston, “Level 4: Virus Hunters of the CDC” by Joseph B. McCormick and Susan Fisher-Hoch, “The Great Influenza” by John M. Barry, “Killer Germs” by Barry and David Zimmerman, “Rabid” by Bill Wasik and Monica Murphy, “A Planet of Viruses” by Carl Zimmer, and “Zoobiquity” by Barbara Natterson-Horowitz and Kathryn Bowers.
“Pandemics" is a helpful but limited 30-page reference guide on pandemics. Doctor Gupta a Professor of Theoretical Epidemiology at the University of Oxford and novelist takes the reader on a quick journey of infectious diseases and their potential to harm us.
Positives:
1. A well-written concise book on infectious diseases.
2. The fascinating topic of infectious diseases.
3. Reads like a solid college essay.
4. Dr. Gupta does a good job of keeping the subject matter in perspective.
5. Does a good job of defining key terms. “A pandemic is simply an infectious disease which has crossed continents and disseminated worldwide.”
6. The power of a pandemic clearly shown. “By contrast, the ‘Spanish flu’ pandemic of 1918 took the lives of around 50 million people, many of them young adults rather than the infants and the elderly who are the influenza virus’s more common victims.”
7. Explains the source of infectious diseases. “Infectious disease is the product of an ecological association between two species: ourselves and the bugs.”
8. Goes over some of the most noteworthy historical pandemics.
9. Interesting look at attempts to contain infectious diseases. “Several methods of containing them were tried — including a rabbit-proof fence to keep them out of Western Australia — but it was not until 1950 that a viable solution was found in the form of a lethal virus known as myxoma (a cousin of smallpox). When deliberately released into the rabbit population, myxomatosis reduced it by almost 90% within a few years.”
10. A look at malaria. “The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that there were about 200 million malaria cases in 2010, and 650,000 deaths — the bulk of these would have been among children under five in sub-Saharan Africa.”
11. Explains why some diseases have been eradicated while others have staying power.
12. Provides some ideas on how to control the spread. “It goes without saying that investing in stable health care systems in the countries where such diseases are likely to arise, particularly by ensuring that vaccination and other preventive measures are prioritized in public health programs, will benefit everybody.”
Negatives:
1. No supplementary materials to speak off that would have added much value. A list of the top historical diseases with timelines would have been appreciated.
2. Way too brief to be a main course, a mere appetizer.
3. Doesn’t explain the difference between virus or bacteria, or the difference between RNA and DNA.
4. Doesn’t really go into bioterrorism.
5. At times inspires more questions than answers. “This immunological memory sometimes extends to related pathogens: thus infection by one strain of influenza may provide some measure of protection against another strain, a phenomenon known as cross-immunity.” So how does the body develop such memories?
6. Could have done a better job of explaining how evolution works.
7. Better formatting would have highlighted key facts.
In summary, this is an average and concise look at pandemics. Poor formatting and lack of depth keeps Pandemics from captivating the public. What’s here is good and interesting but not enough to, dare I say it?, go viral. Average book but with Kindle Unlimited can be read with no guilt.
Further recommendations: “Pandemics: What Everyone Needs to Know” by Peter C. Doherty, “Spillover” by David Quammen, “The Coming Plague” by Laurie Garrett, “What Should We Be Worried About” by John Brockman, “The Hot Zone” by Richard Preston, “Level 4: Virus Hunters of the CDC” by Joseph B. McCormick and Susan Fisher-Hoch, “The Great Influenza” by John M. Barry, “Killer Germs” by Barry and David Zimmerman, “Rabid” by Bill Wasik and Monica Murphy, “A Planet of Viruses” by Carl Zimmer, and “Zoobiquity” by Barbara Natterson-Horowitz and Kathryn Bowers.
May 8, 2021
Written in 2013. Quick overview of virus fundamentals. Similar to what I learned in grade school (Edward Jenner, etc.) Calming. Viruses are in our world. Current covid panic is probably a big reset as generational knowledge on how to handle public health issues seems to have been lost.
Dr. Gupta is one of the authors of the Great Barrington Declaration. Protect the vulnerable, everyone else carry on.
Dr. Gupta is one of the authors of the Great Barrington Declaration. Protect the vulnerable, everyone else carry on.
May 22, 2020
Short and Sweet
It's a quick overview of pandemics. An interesting point I got from it is that perhaps international travel is good in that it builds up some immunity in societies, possibly helping to stop the spread of more catastrophic pandemics. It's more a long article than a book but worth the read.
It's a quick overview of pandemics. An interesting point I got from it is that perhaps international travel is good in that it builds up some immunity in societies, possibly helping to stop the spread of more catastrophic pandemics. It's more a long article than a book but worth the read.
August 29, 2017
This short read provides a very basic introduction to the topic of infectious diseases. If you have no prior knowledge of the topic, then it would be a good place to start. If, however, you have an established interest or any prior knowledge of the subject, then it is going to be far too basic.
September 8, 2021
Why is this very clever lady not listened too by world leaders.
A very good read by someone who knows what they are talking about and this was written before our current COVID 19 pandemic had even started
A very good read by someone who knows what they are talking about and this was written before our current COVID 19 pandemic had even started
April 21, 2021
Short, a fine read.
Clearly and succinctly educates the reader on the nature of pandemics. Rational and balanced. Recommend as it was written seven years pre-COVID-19!
Clearly and succinctly educates the reader on the nature of pandemics. Rational and balanced. Recommend as it was written seven years pre-COVID-19!
May 12, 2021
Clarity without the fear
Reccomended to all those that blindly accept the prevailing narrative as the only truth. A most informative text, intelligently delivered.
Reccomended to all those that blindly accept the prevailing narrative as the only truth. A most informative text, intelligently delivered.
May 20, 2013
This is an interesting little book which attempts to cut through all the scare mongering that fills the media every time a new virus, or variant of an existing virus is discovered. It puts thing in perspective and explains, among other things how the last thing a virus or bacterium wants to do is kill its host because that means it cannot be passed on to others.
What I thought was most interesting was how genetic mutations which can produce disabilities in human beings may also confer immunity against other diseases. Sickle cell anaemia for example goes hand in hand with the ability to survive malaria.
We may actually be managing to create the conditions in which another pandemic could arise instead of preventing one occurring. Written in layman’s terms this is well worth reading by anyone who is interested in what might just be the facts behind the scaremongering.
What I thought was most interesting was how genetic mutations which can produce disabilities in human beings may also confer immunity against other diseases. Sickle cell anaemia for example goes hand in hand with the ability to survive malaria.
We may actually be managing to create the conditions in which another pandemic could arise instead of preventing one occurring. Written in layman’s terms this is well worth reading by anyone who is interested in what might just be the facts behind the scaremongering.
August 5, 2015
Fascinating
This is a fascinating examination of the history of pandemics along with predictions for the future . It is well-written and grounded in strong science , yet written clearly enough to be understood by people outside of the medical field . My only complaints with this work , and they are minor, are that there were a handful of typos, and the sizing on the graphs was simply too small to read. I tried setting the typeface larger by hitting the " I can't find my bifocals button" that Kindle so conveniently provides. However, the graphs never got any larger. .
This is a fascinating examination of the history of pandemics along with predictions for the future . It is well-written and grounded in strong science , yet written clearly enough to be understood by people outside of the medical field . My only complaints with this work , and they are minor, are that there were a handful of typos, and the sizing on the graphs was simply too small to read. I tried setting the typeface larger by hitting the " I can't find my bifocals button" that Kindle so conveniently provides. However, the graphs never got any larger. .
August 24, 2013
Amazon single by Professor of Theoretical Epidemiology at the University of Oxford specializing in infectious diseases. Argues that we are not "due" another pandemic as some alarmists might have us believe. Then goes on to give an overview of the epidemiology of pandemics.
October 25, 2013
I enjoyed that this book gave a concise, scientific and balanced-thinking approach to our current paranoia around germs and disease. It was refreshing to be reminded how resilient our bodies are and the importance of medicine and science. A nice single to read.
October 13, 2014
Interesting read
It's an easy read that offers a cautious approach to pandemics. It's not stuffed with technical data, but it gives you enough facts to dispel popular myths.
It's an easy read that offers a cautious approach to pandemics. It's not stuffed with technical data, but it gives you enough facts to dispel popular myths.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews