The Health of Nations: The Campaign to End Polio and Eradicate Epidemic Diseases

by Karen Bartlett

What would a world without disease look like? With the victory against smallpox behind us, polio, malaria, and measles each provide their own set of roadblocks as we fight for a world free of epidemic diseases. This might seem a utopian pipe-dream, but that brand new world is a lot closer than we might think.

Writing with the pace of a thriller, Karen Bartlett gives us a rare inside look at how both global organizations and local campaigns operate on the front lines in the war against contagious disease. She reveals why politics will prove to be the final enemy in the fight for global health and how victory in this battle will have profound consequences for the balance of world power and will embolden scientists to make other, even more momentous breakthroughs. Thought-provoking and full of reasons to be hopeful for the future, The Health of Nations is essential reading on one of the greatest challenges we face in the 21st century.

Genres: Nonfiction, Science, Medicine, Health

336 pages, Hardcover

Published April 11, 2017

About the author

Karen Bartlett is a writer and journalist based in London. She has written extensively for the Sunday Times, The Times, The Guardian and WIRED from Africa, India and the US, and has presented and produced for BBC Radio. She was the youngest director of democratic reform and human rights campaign group Charter88, and began her career in the UK and South Africa. Most recently, she worked with Eva Schloss, writing her Sunday Times bestselling autobiography After Auschwitz: A Story of Heartbreak and Survival by the Stepsister of Anne Frank.

Reviews

[Saira · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredibly informative book about disease eradication, notably written pre-Covid. I appreciated learning that vaccines have always been highly politicized and polarizing. The book was factual and unbiased. Even in the summary, she didn’t try to lead readers to a conclusion. 5/5

The quote I’ll definitely carry with me is, “In 2013, more polio volunteers and workers were murdered than people died of the disease.”

[Thesincouch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hugely informative and interesting, it manages to create a full picture of disease control without repeating or overstating facts. I have to admit that I was not overly informed about the subject before reading it, but I wasn't ignorant either, and I really enjoyed it. It doesn't focus on only polio or smallpox, instead it gives you a deep overall view of the history and reality of contagious diseases.

[Nora]

Interesting and thought provoking. I liked it.

[Irum · Rating 4 out of 5]

Provided useful information and was a very interesting book on eradication of endemic diseases.

[Kevin Keyaert · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book leapfrogged to the top of my TBR pile as it was the only book I had shelved that was sufficiently opportune to read when the coronavirus pandemic struck.

The history of the global eradication of epidemic diseases is surely a gripping one. Bartlett offers an engaging bird's-eye overview of eradication campaigns from smallpox to polio and touches on other epidemic diseases on the radar of the international health community such as yellow fever, measles, Ebola, malaria, meningitis and Guinea worm disease. Learning about the specifics of the unmistakably Sisyphean efforts of a global army of health workers and vaccinators, who often operate in the background of and in between political forces and violent conflicts, was definitely informative. Combining that human story with just the right dose of the medical science behind vaccine development and virology made it very good popular science read. And, oh yeah, why hadn't I ever heard of Jonas Salk??

What I hoped I would get out of this book was perhaps a brief look behind the scenes of global health initiatives coming out of the World Health Organization and the influence of 'Big Philanthropy' on the globally coordinated efforts. Although both aspects were there, the focus remained on the specific challenges they faced in global eradication campaigns, which were of course very interesting, but perhaps left out some crucial footnotes on the accountability of such large and powerful philanthropic organisations.

[Himanshu Kapila · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book hooks you from the first page where there's a picture of Dr. Jenner's house. I finished it in two days. The battle of humanity against the invincible epidemics and people who made the victory possible. A fantastic read.

[Irvi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Intriguing, managed to state the importance of disease control without much repetition.

[Donna Barman · Rating 1 out of 5]

Just failed to grab my attention. Maybe because white people writing about disease eradication in third world countries barely scratch the surface.

Wouldn't recommend. Time wasted.

[tisasday · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was useful to read a summary of all the key happenings.

[Sarah Young · Rating 1 out of 5]

Seemed to be written very biased. I do not enjoy reading books that don't show both sides and well if you want a book that's all about the pharma side...this is for you.