Gripping true stories of life-threatening events
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This is an outstanding book. First-hand true-life recollections of a diverse range of natural disasters across Africa over 3 decades. The authors tell their stories well, putting you right there in the bush. They retain their sense of humanity throughout so you really feel for their patients and their families as human beings. 1 quibble : only towards of the end of the story do they get married; at the very end of the book they both thank their first spouses for their respective sacrifices – but you never even get to know their spouses first names – what sort of acknowledgement remains anonymous? 2 mysteries : whilst there are plenty of good maps, there are no photos; no pictures of colleagues or patients, and no pictures of the offending Viruses and Bacteria – why not?
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Remarkable
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Biologic agents, viruses, and the weapons they can be used with, have become common themes for movies and books. The Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta Georgia has also become a frequently mentioned locale as the HIV Virus grew in scope and with it the public's concern. The descriptions of some of these viruses seemed almost like science fiction, as the descriptions I read often seemed on the edge of hyperbole. This volume by two "virus hunters" is eminently readable by the layperson as it explains the basics about what a virus is, how they spread, and how horrible the consequences of infection can be.
Dr. Joseph B. McCormick and Dr Susan Fisher-Hoch are as amazing as the diseases they pursue. These doctors, when in the field, often perform tests that would normally only be performed in a Level 4 Biosafety Laboratory. This is a facility that is isolated, at times in a separate building, includes airlocks, and the researchers wear the pressurized suits you may have seen portrayed in movies or documentaries. Level 4 is as high as it goes, or perhaps better stated, Level 4 is where the most lethal, dangerous, and exotic agents are worked with. These Doctors however, will work with these same agents in a tent, or in the open, in the most primitive conditions where the tiniest of errors could mean their death.
As a reference point I went to the Centers for Disease Control website to see where HIV is placed on the 1-4 scale. HIV except for certain circumstances is handled in a Level 2 environment. This put into perspective for me just how incredibly violent and lethal are the agents these people deal with. The book gives a great deal of background on HIV from the earliest days it was identified. Hemorrhagic fever viruses are discussed in detail, as well as specific discussions of Ebola, Lassa fever, Dengue Fever and others.
The entire book is fascinating and at times surprising. These Level 4 killers are not new, their emergence is primarily the result of humans venturing where they have never been, or interacting with the environment in a novel manner. The book eloquently explains that these viruses are not lurking waiting to pounce on the first person that passes by; rather they exist in a biological balance with their natural host, until disturbed.
You will read about accidents when these toxins are handled, why these diseases that are so virulent, so deadly, don't race around the globe. This is an extremely engrossing read, as everyday "man" is pushing the limits of what is manipulated, what structures we may be able to modify, but cannot with certainty handle. And there is always the fear of creating an event over which control is lost with catastrophic results.
Better than any novel because this book is true, it is science explained and practiced by the world's experts. Those who often were the first to identify and deal with the disease tell the stories, and finally they are scientists, so what you read are facts, not the embellishments of a novelist. These viruses need not modified for fictional movies and books, for the reality are horrible enough.
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