NEW KILLER DISEASES, THE

ThestrangenewdiseaseSARSeruptedapparentlyoutofnowhereandhasspreadatanastonishingrate.ScaryasSARSitselfis,thediseaseisalsoawarningofmanypossiblesuchoutbreakstocome.FeaturingthedisturbingstoryofSARS—whereitcamefrom,whatitis,andhowtoprotectyourselffromit—aswellasthoseofmanyotherrecentlyevolveddeadlyscourges,TheNewKillerDiseasesisashockingcalltoarms.Allaroundus—inourhomes,workplaces,andpublicspaces—bacteriaandvirusesareevolvingatafeverishrate,andourbestdefensesagainstthemareindangerofbeingoverwhelmed.Thethreatposedbyemerginginfectiousdiseasesisasformidableasanychallengethehumanracehaseverfaced,andtheevolutionaryscalesmaybetippinginfavorofthemicrobes.InTheNewKillerDiseases,arespectedimmunologistandaveteranscienceauthorintroducethevitalfactsthepublicmustknowabouttheastonishingrangeofkillermicrobesweareupagainst.FromtheSARSandWestNilevirusestomadcowandEbola,thirtynewdeadlydiseaseshavearisensincethe1970s,andtwentyoldscourges,suchasplagueandcholera,arereemerging.ButtheFDAonlyrecentlyapprovedthefirstnewtypeofantibioticinthirty-fouryears,andvaccinesformanyofthemostlethalvirusesarealongwayfromdevelopment.Inaddition,researchershaveonlylatelydiscoveredthatbacteriahavebeenswappingresistancegenes—genesthathelpthemevadethedrugsmeanttokillthem—andareevolvingnewmechanismstofightoffevenourbestdrugsatastartlingpace.Featuringmanyremarkablestoriesofpeoplewhohavecontractedbizarrenewafflictions,includingthatofthedoctorwhofirstdiagnosedSARSandthendiedfromit,TheNewKillerDiseasesempowersreadersbyrevealinginagripping,detailedfashionthewaythesenewdiseasesmanifestthemselves,thesymptomstowatchoutfor,andhowtogetacorrectdiagnosisintime.Thebookalsogoestothefrontlinesofthewarbeingwagedbyresearchersandmedicalprofessionalsacrossthecountry,profilingthepioneerswhoareleadingthefightandintroducingthelatestscientificdevelopments,fromnewgenetictechniquestopromisingdrugprograms,whichmayallowustobeatbackthemicrobemenace.TheNewKillerDiseasesarmsuswiththeknowledgetoprotectourselvesandourfamilies,leavingusalertandfullyinformedaboutthetroublingextentoftheformidablethreatweface.FromtheHardcoveredition.