Virus X Tracking the New Killer Plagues by Frank Ryan
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Book Description

From a Navajo reservation in New Mexico to the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta, from the jungles of South America to the remote African bush, Virus X travels to the corners of the world to deliver thrilling true tales of man against microbe. Throughout history, plagues have caused more death and terror than wars or other natural disasters. But by the 1970s, thanks to antibiotics and vaccines, the medical profession and public believed the threat of new epidemics was over. That comforting illusion was shattered by the sudden appearance of AIDS and other catastrophic epidemics: hantavirus, Ebola, Marburg, "mad cow," and the "flesh-eating" diseases. Even old plagues thought to be defeated - tuberculosis, cholera, malaria, bubonic plague - are making a comeback.

Dr. Frank Ryan, author of The Forgotten Plague, takes us into the "hot zones" of today's most dangerous outbreaks, then into the research laboratories and hospitals, where he spotlights the scientists and doctors who are risking their lives to contain them. In telling this global story, he uncovers a frightening pattern - and concludes that new, deadlier diseases are now waiting to emerge. Why do such plagues arise? Where do new viruses come from? Could there be - will there be - a Virus X, an incurable virus, as lethal as Ebola, spread as easily as the common cold? Dr. Ryan has posed these questions to leading virus experts around the world, and here, combined with his own research as a renowned authority on diseases, he presents a radical theory about the origins of these deadly microbes. Rejecting the assumption that new plagues arise by chance, Dr. Ryan sees in them the purposeful programming of powerful evolutionary forces - a process he calls "aggressive symbiosis."

Vividly written and meticulously researched, Virus X asks provocative questions about human impact on an already delicate ecosystem and exposes our increasing vulnerability in a world out of balance. By exploring the steps that can be taken to head off a potential doomsday, Virus X provides a rousing call to action. It will satisfy you even as it unsettles you.

About the Author

Frank Ryan, M.D.

Dr. Frank Ryan is a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and a member of the New York Academy of Sciences and the British Society of Gastroenterology. He is also the author of The Forgotten Plague. A consulting physician and lecturer, he lives in Sheffield, England..

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