COVID-19 has made us all aware of the fact that we live in a world full of invisible enemies. Normally, we don’t even realize they’re there, but from time to time one of these microscopic creatures becomes powerful enough to turn everything upside down. What are these invisible enemies, and how can we prepare ourselves for the pandemics of the future?
A specialist in the cellular biology of diseases, Salvador Macip explains, in a language everyone can understand, what it means to share the planet with millions of microbes – some wonderful allies, others terrible foes. He provides a concise account of epidemics that changed history, and focuses on the great modern plagues that are still causing millions of deaths every year, from influenza, TB and malaria to COVID-19. Macip also examines the methods we have used – from vaccines to improved sanitation and social distancing – to try to control these invisible enemies.
This authoritative overview of modern epidemics and the pathogens that cause them will be essential reading for anyone who wants to understand our world today, a world in which some of the greatest threats to the human species come from the invisible microbes with which we share this planet.
By:
Salvador Macip
Translated by:
Julie Wark
Imprint: Polity Press
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions:
Height: 203mm,
Width: 135mm,
Spine: 23mm
Weight: 363g
ISBN: 9781509546572
ISBN 10: 150954657X
Pages: 288
Publication Date: 19 March 2021
Audience:
General/trade
,
ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active
Acknowledgements Introduction An ever-present danger Let’s do our homework A tool for understanding the present and preparing for the future Part I Sharing the World with Microorganisms 1 Travel Companions They were here first Peaceful passengers The dark side A bit of terminology Bacteria Viruses: the smallest life form? Fungi: microscopic mushrooms 2 The Story of a Never-Ending Struggle The invisible hand behind things Rats, fleas, and bacteria The ‘Spanish’ flu The resuscitated virus Smallpox, a disease of the past Poliomyelitis: next on the list? Cost in lives, cost in money 3 Our Arsenal Simple but vital The immune system The next step forward: vaccines Cancer vaccines The papilloma vaccine, a controversial solution The danger of listening to the wrong people Future challenges Antibiotics: the offensive begins Powerful poisons or a sophisticated messaging system? Miracles with an expiry date The microbes of the future Resting on our laurels The antibiotics of the future Antivirals Who pays the bills? Control and prevention 4 The Danger of Knowing Too Much The paradox: the more we research, the greater the danger Dangerous information Anthrax Bioterrorists in the USA The return of smallpox? 5 Forgotten Diseases and New Diseases Meningitis Cholera West Nile virus Ebola Marburg: the other serious haemorrhagic fever The ‘forgotten’ diseases Chagas disease Dengue Hand, foot and mouth disease 6 Coronaviruses and Future Pandemics Coronaviruses: the new plague? SARS: the coronaviruses enter the scene MERS, or camel sickness COVID-19 changes everything How to stop the virus The vaccine race The future of the pandemic What lies ahead for SARS-CoV-2 Lessons from COVID-19: how to manage a crisis And the next pandemic? Where is the ‘supervirus’? How can we prevent the spread? Part II Major Modern Epidemics 7 Influenza The virus’s thousand faces The killer cold A winter malady A useful treatment One vaccine or many vaccines? The future of humanity depends on an egg The danger of bird flu The 2009 influenza pandemic Drugs and the race against time Epidemic or pandemic? A change of hemispheres Prepare for the worst The consequences of the pandemic 8 AIDS Another multifaceted virus The African sickness A scientists’ squabble The Nobel of discord The silent infection Necessary swift diagnosis A miraculous treatment … that doesn’t cure Side effects The virus becomes more dangerous Treatments for the future And the famous vaccine? Defence is the best attack Where does the money come from? Denialists: as dangerous as the virus 9 Tuberculosis Koch’s bacillus: an armoured microbe A problem that comes back The threat of resistant tuberculosis New treatments, old treatments Another disease with no vaccine The tuberculosis that comes from cows 10 Malaria All because of a mosquito Goodwill is not enough The treatment and how to get it to people who need it Has the time of resistances come? The controversial SPf66 vaccine The army is also researching Against the insects: mosquito nets and genetic engineering Global action A tropical disease only? Epilogue Glossary Index
Salvador Macip is head of the Mechanisms of Cancer and Ageing Laboratory in the Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Leicester and professor at the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya.
Reviews for Modern Epidemics: From the Spanish Flu to COVID-19
'A timely, authoritative and reader-friendly account of pandemics past and present. One that is particularly welcome because it gives a broad and balanced account that is devoid of Anglo-American bias, providing fascinating insights into the very important events associated with the defeat of the last Inca Emperor Atahualpa, with Chagas' disease in Bolivia, and with the Mexican origin of the 2009 influenza pandemic, as well as explaining the latter's malignant effects on our preparedness for COVID-19.' Hugh Pennington, Emeritus Professor of Bacteriology at the University of Aberdeen
