Influenza-Flu Books

Ok, so I ordered this book because I'm an idiot and didn't read the product description and see that it was actually a children's book. But, that doesn't mean I didn't read it.... I actually loved the book. It's a quick read for an adult, but it's also a great book. The information is accurate and well written. It would be easy for a child that is interested in science or history to understand. So, if you're a middle school science teacher or history teacher this would be a great assignment for a book report.

THIS BOOK IS A EXCELLENT HALF HOUR READ OF WHAT HAPPENED IN 1918,IT OPENED UP ALOT OF THOUGHT FOR ME ABOUT THE CAUSE AND CONDITIONS OF THE PANDEMIC. IT IS A GOOD FIRST READ IF YOU KNOW VERY LITTLE ABOUT THE PANDEMIC

I have a copy of this book in my library. It is an accurate and well written book that explains in detail the Pandemic Influenza that gripped our world in 1918-1919.

If you purchase this book for a child, be aware of the nature of the topic presented. Between 20 million and 100 million people perished from the great Spanish Influenza.

Since the book is simple to understand and easy to read, I strongly urge you buy copies for politicians at every level of government.

This is one of the books I took out of the library yesterday, and I am so glad I did! This book its one of the best medical books geared for children I have ever read! I wish for tw othings, one, it will never end, and two, that there were more books in this series of unknown viruses. Thanks fo r a great read!

With the specter of a major influenza pandemic on the horizon, this book is a timely review and update on therapeutics for this sometimes-lethal disease. Even if today's bird flu does not evolve into a major killer as feared, seasonally epidemic influenza remains a serious disease throughout the world. Abascal's book looks back to the 1918 epidemic, the worst influenza epidemic in recent history, which killed millions of people worldwide. During that epidemic in the U.S., both homeopaths and herbalists claimed a better survival rate than that achieved by physicians of the day. Abascal's review of Eclectic herbal materia medica goes beyond the standard Felter and Ellingwood texts, and includes dozens of references to articles in the Eclectic Medical Journal. A primary source for the book is a survey of Eclectic remedies used during the 1918 Epidemic - the survey was done by the Lloyd brothers pharmaceutical company in 1919. She also includes historical and contemporary naturopathic and herbal sources. The fifteen most commonly-used Eclectic remedies are described in detail. About half of these, including four of the five top herbs, are Class IV low-dose toxic botanicals or other strong herbs generally not available to the non-physician herbalist. She also covers twenty more herbs covered in somewhat less detail. The relevance of this book for the clinical practitioner is four stars out of four. It is sure to broaden your thinking about materia medica and tailoring treatments to the presenting symptoms in the various stages of flu, including fever, muscle pain, headache, and respiratory complications.

This book is a great, relatively quick read. After a brief overview of influenza itself, including interesting thoughts about cytokine storms and herbs, Abascal launches into the fascinating history of the Eclectic physicians and their experience during the 1918 influenza pandemic. The fascinating history of the period and the surprising data on efficacy of herbs for this deadly epidemic are well worth reviewing. The details discussions of the herbs are excellently done, brief, too the point, yet fascinating and looking at sides of these herbs largely lost and ignored. This is not another book heralding the same tired herbs for influenza discussed in the current literature. This is a powerful, fascinating review, useful to patients and clinicians alike. I learned a lot from it and believe many others will also.

This book by Kathy Abascal is a lucid survey of the nature of influenza, of current efforts to develop flu vaccines and antiviral drugs that would be efficacious in both seasonal epidemics and pandemics as well as strategies for decreasing transmission of the virus. But Abascal goes far beyond this in presenting a unique and well documented review of the use of herbal treatments in France and in the United States. In fact, by far the greater part of the book deals with these herbal remedies and their use not only in the 1918 pandemic but also in regular practice. Of necessity, with the notable exception of data from a French hospital study in 1918, the evidence for the efficacy of herbal treatments is largely anecdotal. Authors of published reports were primarily adherents of the so-called Eclectic school of physicians who, in addition to having a knowledge of herbal medicines, appear to have been unusually aware of the variety of symptoms and sensitive to their progression in each patient.
While Abascal deals with some 35 herbs, about six were most widely used. Among these were Gelsemium sempervirens (yellow jasmine), Eupatorium perfoliatum (Indian sage), and Aconitum napellus (aconite or wolf's-bane). The limited availability of these herbs (both with respect to quantity and to knowledge of their proper use) would preclude their having wide applicability in a pandemic. But it is easy to imagine and to argue for the advisability of planning modern clinical trials during seasonal epidemics to determine their efficacy. It would then be a further (and not inconsiderable) step to determine what compounds are effective in ameliorating the miseries of "the flu".
This is a book worth reading and pondering. The references alone are worth the price.

This book does not pretend to have found a cure for colds and flu but rather it offers various remedies to lower the chances of getting a cold or flu and tips on reducing the misery associated with the ailments. The People's Medical Society has done an excellent job of sensitising readers about this common ailment.

After reading this book, I have a better understanding of the causes, nature and impact of flu and colds. I have now acquired some basic knowledge about viruses and bacteria and the different ways they make people sick. The authors do not come up with brand new ideas but they managed to consolidate the various ideas into a small book that is handy for those who need advice on how to confront this common and annoying affliction.

The authors, who are executives of the non-profit consumer health advocacy organisation, People's Health Society that is based in the USA have to be commended for suggesting the 77 tips on prevention of colds and flu. The government ministries responsible for public health would save a lot of money by distributing this book widely in schools and libraries and elsewhere particularly in third world countries where the resources to deal with health issues is limited.

This is recommended reading for anyone interested in their health and that of fellow men and women.

Once I read the book I tried to implement some of the suggestions. We had a definate difference on the number of times that our family was ill, as well as the duration and severity of illness. I recommended it to a nurse at work as a jumping off point for our staff to minimize office spread of illness. Very easy to read, so much so that I quickly read the book several times.

My son demands that I read him lots of books and it always makes me happy when he picks this one out. Its great fun to read. I think I enjoy it more than he does. You can really get into the rhyme and rhythm trying new ways each time you read it. The story is funny as well. I've probably read it a hundred times and haven't gotten sick of it yet.

Farm Flu is a sweet little book about a boy and his sickly livestock. I think that the rhyme is good, but the story is even better. And how charming is the repeated text "I know just what my mom would do / if it were me who had the flu."? My little son requests this book a LOT, and I am only too happy to oblige him.

Although I purchased this book a couple of years ago, I hadn't gotten to it until just now. I moved it to the top of my To Read list after finishing The Last Town on Earth, which is a fictionalized account of the 1918 flu. I wasn't expecting the detailed history of how our medical profession modernized, and the history of the origins of Johns Hopkins, although I was pleasantly surprised to find it here. I also found the general policies instituted by the Wilson administration, utterly suppressing free speech and any discord about the war very interesting. The only problem I had with the book was excessive repetiveness -- sometimes I wondered if I were somehow re-reading a page I had read before, as descriptions or quotations were restated verbatim in several parts of the book. There were also excessive descriptions of similar events in different towns that didn't truly add to the book's point -- the impact and experience of the 1918 flu. Certain parts were reminiscent of The Coming Plague (another book which I highly recommend), and if you enjoyed that book, you will enjoy this one as well. I am very glad to have the knowledge gained by reading this book, and the only reason I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 was the repetiveness of many of its points -- the book could have easily been 100 pages shorter with some good editing.

A detailed look at the horrible influenza epidemic that decimated not only the United States but most of the world in 1918, killing tens of millions and sickening many more. An excellent job of explaining the biological and medical complexities of the disease, detailing the history of often shoddy medical education in the United States, and relating the Spanish flu's human and emotional toll through vivid anecdotes of personal hardship and horror. The book reads well as a medical detective story and history, and also presents a useful lesson on the falsehoods routinely issued by government leaders and newspapers in the United States in a misguided effort to keep morale "positive," theoretically to help the war effort.

I liked this book it is a big thick book that takes a long time to read. If you enjoy history and you know it repeats itself. It is an interesting book to buy.

This book contains some excellent information, but i would recommend the abridged version. I don't feel the personal lives & quirks of all of the scientists involved in the story added any insight to this pandemic.

To me, this book really represented a missed opportunity to tell a potentially fascinating story. I found *The Great Influenza* long, overwritten, repetitive, and, most important (as several have noted) telling only the American side of a worldwide pandemic. Sometimes, the author seemed to be so in love with a particular theme or trope that he strained the narrative beyond all reason to fit it in. One of the more egregious examples was the long tale, at the book's end, of the career decline and death of biologist Paul Lewis -- whose work at the time, in fact, was generally unrelated to influenza -- apparently solely so he could end the main text by metaphorically declaring Lewis (who actually died in Brazil of yellow fever) "the last victim of the great influenza."

While certain sections -- notably the ones focused on the actual operation of the virus and the factors underlying its virulence -- were well handled and interesting, and while clearly prodigious research was involved, in general I'm afraid I found the book shaggy, poorly organized, too narrowly focused on the American viewpoint, and ultimately unrewarding.

After having read Ms. Kolata's version as well as several others, I do understand the story is best told objectively by Mr Davies. It is the best account and is NOT interchangeable with other books on the same subject (respectfully disagreeing with the Library Review).

Further, previous reading about other epidemics (including the fabulous book by Ms L. Garrett "The Coming Plague"), Mr Davies' account of the magnitude of this epidemic is a real eye opener. Between the two books, these gifted writers, Mr Davies and Ms Garrett, provide invaluable information and the reason the global community should be concerned - always - about our world health.

Be warned, its' not easy to put the book down once you've started - he's a gifted writer that depicts the history outstandingly well.

Need a little more fear in your life? Well, you're in luck! The latest source of global terror is the so-called "Asian bird flu," a.k.a., H5N1. Worldwide, only about 75 people have died of this nasty little bug to date, if you don't count millions of birds who were either infected or purposely destroyed for prophylactic reasons. Now China has announced a plan to innoculate 14 BILLION birds as a precaution.

So far, the virus is spread primarily by direct contact with bird blood or droppings. However, with a couple of small genetic variations this bug could jump to a much more threatening stage -- aerosol transmission through sneezing and coughing. If that happens, we're in for a very bumpy ride. Scientists estimate the global death toll at up to 100 million people. No kidding.

So what does the bird flu have to do with the 1918 influenza pandemic that killed more than 40 million people? That's the scientific mystery behind Pete Davie's fast-reading book, "The Devil's Flu," originally published in the U.K. in the late 1990s under the title "Catching Cold."

Ever since the 1918 pandemic, virologists have been trying to find human tissue with samples of that terrible virus so they could analyze it and compare it to new bugs like the bird flu. That's the focus of this story. After prepping the reader with some scientific background, Davis takes us on a wild ride through places like Hong Kong, Alaska and the arctic islands of Norway as competing scientists search for traces of the old bug. Along the way, we learn where viruses come from, how they mutate, how they spread and what's likely to happen next.

"The Devil's Flu" isn't a scholarly work, but it sure is great fun to read. I finished it in about three hours. More recent authors have explored this topic with greater depth. Nevertheless, I'd recommend this book for people who want just enough detail to understand the big picture -- in a very entertaining way. And if you must sneeze, please cover your nose.

I found the story about the dig in the frozen tundra looking for the Spanish flu to be exciting.
In my novel, Reign of the Rat, I explored the same operation Mr. Davies wrote about but in a fictionalized version.
The next deadly flu pandemic is waiting and the more I research the Avian, the more I suspect it may be here soon.

I used to be a virologist. Let me tell you, I was ASTONISHED at how much I hadn't been told about flu. Pete Davies is obviously no virologist, but he just wades on in there and hacks out the story and tells it to you. It doesn't have to be great; he's got lots to tell you. And he's a good writer. The portrayal of Kirsty Duncan as a pompous ass is priceless. By the way, I had NO idea that Parkinsonism was one of the sequelae of the 1918 flu. If you find that sort of info interesting, of course you'll get this book and read it. One last note: Several places in Davies' book sound to me like they were edited by some dumbass editor (the kind of editor who would remove the word dumbass from this comment); note for example the use of the phrase "flu like symptoms" on page 260, which is NOT in Davies' voice. So this book isn't perfect, but it's a really good book.

While researching FINAL EPIDEMIC, my novel of the re-emergence of the Spanish Flu of 1918,I was fortunate enough to have one of the epidemeologists I used as a source send me Pete Davies' book in its original British title (it was issued in 1999 in England under the title: "Catching Cold.")

Then as now, the depth of Davies' own research into both the history and the contemporary study of the H1N1 killer flu virus is as impressive as it is extensive. THE DEVIL'S FLU ranks with the best of medical non-fiction narrative on this unfortunately again-timely subject.

A startling fact about the original 1918 plague that devastated humanity --notable, since it occurred within the lifespan of many still alive today-- is the collective amnesia that so often surrounds that event.

Few Americans realize that it's extremely probable that they have a family member only a generation or two ago who fell prey to the deadly Spanish Flu pandemic; tales of when the cry "bring out your dead!" echoed along American streets were seldom passed from those who witnessed it to those of us who descended from the survivors. It takes a trip to virtually any cemetery to bring the death toll home to us, as marker after marker identifies the victims of the 1918 flu pandemic. Worldwide, deaths in 1918-1919 totalled at least 40 million humans, and very likely as many as 100 million-- all within a timespan measured in months.

As I write this, an avian influenza virus not unlike that which triggered the 1918 pandemic, if forcing the mass slaughter of chickens and other birds throughout Asia. It is an attempt to forestall the very real possibility that the virus (which already has infected human victims through bird-to-human transmission, and currently has a 70 percent mortality rate among human victims) could acquire genes which would allow for human-to-human transmission.

During research for FINAL EPIDEMIC, I interviewed dozens of medical researchers and epidemeologists. Without exception, each stated that their greatest fear was a resurgence of a influenza virus similar to the 1918 variant, which through incubation in humans mutated into a unprecedented killer of humanity. Based on the cyclic nature of flu pandemics, I was told, mankind was already overdue-- and, worse: woefully unprepared-- for such an emerging viral Shiva.

Influenza was, and remains, a universal threat: As A.W. Crosby wrote in "America's Forgotten Pandemic," his own classic examination of the 1918 Spanish Flu, "I know how not to get AIDS. I don't know how not to get the flu."

Davies' book on this reemerging threat deserves attention, as he reminds us that this kind of horrific killer virus is considered by the medical community a certainity to arise again.
At best, we can only prepare ourselves -- and wait.

--Earl Merkel
Author, FINAL EPIDEMIC (PenguinPutnam 2002)
and DIRTY FIRE (PenguinPutnam 2003)

I am always pleased with the items I've bought through Amazon because
they keep me informed of delays & shipments, etc. Some things take
longer than others but I understand due to the multi party involvement.
I do appreciate that they seem to care when/if I get the items. I hope
they keep up the good work

I dove into reading Dr. Mercola's The Great Bird Flu Hoax expecting a thorough treatment of the science behind the bird flu laid out in such a way that it would show why we don't have to worry about bird flu. This was not the case. In fact, there was little sicence in the book and even less dealt with why Dr. Mercola felt bird flu was a hoax. What became apparent was how little Mercola knew about this highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 strain. The only two reasons he seems to have for believing the flu won't surface as a threat in the US are that it hasn't shown up in chickens in the US and that the human infection rates of bird flu are on the decline. Unfortunatley, neither of these reasons are correct. H5N1 doesn't need to appear in US flocks, nor does it need to enter via any non-human animal. Once the H5N1 mutates into a form that is highly contagious for humans, it will go global from human to human - airline flights will deliver it everywhere. Similarly, Mercola is oblivious to the fact that the bird flue is constantly mutating, again incorrectly trying to support his hypothesis with the current H5N1's inability to transmit easily to humans. Once it gets the right mutation - and it's only a matter of time - it will spread like a wildfire.

As for the rate of human bird flu infections, not only are they not on the decline, but 2006 was the deadliest year so far for humans (granted, the book came out prior to the year's end)(World Health Organization. 2007. Avian Influenza Update Number 76. January 2.
(.......). Mercola again seems to be lacking in his understanding of disease rates when he tries to reason away the lethality of this flu strain. Just like the 1918 bird flu that passed to humans and killed more people than any single war, death rates are based on reported incidents. So, not only is the lethality rate valid based on this, but his hypothesis of lots of unreported cases has been disproven. In the Cambodian province of Kampot, an outbreak of H5N1 killed dozens of chicken flocks and only one young farmer. Researchers swept in and tried to take blood from every family in the area to determine the actual human infection rate. They analyzed blood work from 351 area villagers. Not one person showed evidence of present or past infection. (Vong S, Coghlan B, Mardy S, et al. 2006. Low frequency of poultry-to-human H5N1 virus transmission, southern Cambodia, 2005. Emerging Infectious Disease 12(10). (...........).

The focus of the book deals with his nutrition and health recommendations, and even here, he can't keep his facts straight. For example, he claims that only .003% of eggs are infected with salmonella (p. 171), so that people shouldn't be afraid of eating raw eggs even if they can't get the "healthier" eggs. Yet, he goes to great lengths to show how dirty and contaminated chickens and eggs are from the intensive farming practices of factory farms earlier in the book.

The Great Bird Flu Hoax is not without its good points. Mercola questions the benefits of Tamiflu based on its risks, although I'm hesitant to believe what he states because of his shoddy research on the flu itself. He points out the problems with vaccines and dangers of legislation that could take away our rights not to vaccinate in an emergency. And, he rightly accuses factory farms for being the source of the HPAI H5N1. Oh, I did appreciate being reminded about the benefits of naturally-fermented sauerkraut in fighting bird flu.

I am Chiropractor in Manhattan and I utulize many holistic methods in my practice.Dr.Mercola points out some ideas that are very unpopular within "modern medicine" but pretty common among alternative medicine.
I highly recommend it to all the hypochondriacs.
Visit my website at [...]

I am a former patient at Dr. Mercola's clinic, and I truly support everything he is trying to do with our current health crisis. His clinic helped me to overcome a serious illness when all other "regular" doctors, including the prestigious Mayo Clinic, had written me off. He truly helps many people every day, I have seen it first hand. However, I admit I was worried when I looked at the book and saw "SHOCKING LIES" on the cover. I was afraid this was a sign that he would follow the trend he uses all too often, dispensing extremely important health information in a format similar to the National Enquirer. I wish he could use a little more humility and respect for the intelligence of his readers both in his books and on his website. For example, the video he has on his website, "The Town of Allopath", is very, very good, and the message critically important, but it turns my stomach to see "Highly Acclaimed Video Causes Flood of Hate Mail" in big letters at the top of the page. Calling such an important video "highly acclaimed" himself just cheapens it, cheapens his reputation, and insults his readers.
In his book the Great Bird Flu Hoax, however, for the most part, he writes in a professional, but sometimes dry, manner. I appreciated the effort he took to document everything, especially in comparison to his book "Total Health Program", where nothing is documented, and his recipes all have cutesy names so you can't find them later because you can't remember the stupid name he gave them! (Again, he calls this book "BLOCKBUSTER!" on his website. Again, it turns my stomach, mostly because a little more professionalism and humility would go a REALLY LONG WAY and it's just kind of sad.)
But I did find myself cheering for Dr. Mercola as I read this book. I think that he did "get it right" this time. He goes after the industries who need someone to go after them! I do hope that this book does get some press, and that folks will pay attention to it. Personally, I wish that he would have devoted more time to talking about the health benefits of saturated fats versus trans fats in his section on improving your health, and also I think folks with no natural health exposure will be confused by his section on fermented foods and will go out and buy regular canned sauerkraut, but these are not large deals in the whole scheme of the book. I laughed out loud (in a good way!) in the section on vaccinations when he asked the folks who are not used to this kind of thinking to take a deep breath, step back, and calm down. You go, Dr. Mercola!!!
In the end, my wish is that he would write a book that I could give to a highly intelligent but VERY sceptical family member and have it not embarass me with overly cute, and sometimes arrogant talk and undocumented claims. With The Great Bird Flu Hoax, he comes the closest that he has yet. Thank you Dr. Mercola.

I found this text to be of real value and very informative if a little verbose and repetitive at times.

The story line reads - there is a potential for a world wide crises but despite the various governments telling us that there is a cure (although it cannot really be afforded) there is in reality no adequate cure or medicine available.

He states that the global (mainly American based) giant pharmacutical industry has blinded us with - well science and rather than look to simple and cheap alternatives and sensible precautions these industry giants have persuaded our governments that they alone have the remedies needed and effectively their lobbying has now given them the right to write for themselves large value cheques.

The example of the bird flue exacts his comment that colloidal silver a very inexpensive product containing a small percentage of the heavy metal silver has the potential to entirely wipe out the patheogenetic effects of the bird flu virus whereas "Tamiflu" has not even been tested and in his opinion will not work at all agains bird flu. I can testify to the effective working of colloidal silver.

Mercola goes on to conclude that the would be pandemic has directly arisen out of greed by large scale and totally unaccontable agricultural businesses who have basically neglected natural breeding and sensible housbandary giving a world choked with waste containing bugs that go on to contaminate swathes of land and effect lives of people across the world.

He adviszes that there is simply no need to trade globally in agricultural produce when we are all in a position to take locally produced supplies - a point to which I say - Amen!(although remember to be prepared to pay a little bit more for the better product)

Although primarily an american text for the American People this book has reinforced my own thoughts on the best way to negate the effects of any forecast pandemic.

A well recommended read for those who are not just conspiracy theorists but who are pledged to taking back responsibility for their own health.

These are a well-written series of helpful books, I own a few including this one. Don't expect to be astounded but each have several more natural solutions for whatever topic and include scripture to go with the condition. Prayers and diet to go along with each treatment are a nice touch.

I bought this book looking for information about Spanish Flu for a novel I was writing. I had already read other books on the subject and this one was a relief to read. It wasn't dry like much non-fiction tends to be. It was an interesting read. Though it wasn't a narrative non-fiction, it was filled with stories that accented the numbers and the big picture Kolata created about epidemic flu. Though I wasn't so interested in the history of disease and death chapter, most of the other ones were good. I found the human trials interesting. I am also fascinated by the cyclical jumps the flu seems to make between man, swine and birds. If you are interested in the study of influenza in general, this is a great start.

Kolata's book is a good history of influenza in the 20th century, but her skills at gathering and organizing a tremendous mass of information are unfotunately counterbalanced by a rather monotonous writing style. Even dropping personal details about the subjects of the book doesn't make me feel like they're real "characters". So in terms of entertainment, this book isn't that great.

As a graduate student, the real payoff for me is to see all the things I've been reading about for most of the last year - flu strains, scientists, agencies, experiments - put into context by a narrator. I've seen the names Taubenberger, Garcia-Sastre, Palese, et cetera, et cetera, more times than I want to, but this is the first time I've seen them as people and not just references for looking up stuff. As a budding scientist being forced to look up and read a lot of primary literature, it's easy to miss the forest for the trees.

So - recommended for laypeople who want to know what the fuss about flu is all about, and also recommended for students as a reminder that "science is not done by textbooks".

I loved this book, couldn't put it down. I learned a lot, not only about the 1918 flu, but about the science of virus research. The writing is very fluid. Kolata is on my short list of must-read authors.

Gina Kolata's book is an informative look at the influenza pandemic of 1918. The author provides an opportunity to see the shortcomings of the world of science and medicine during that era. She also describes the search for the genetic make-up of this virus during the 1990's and the difficulties encountered even with the advancements in those fields.
She reveals the devastation wrought upon the human race around the globe using stories compiled from survivors and published accounts. From stories involving families dying together, to the barracks of the Army, to the streets of Philadelphia the loss is nearly inconceivable. Few places on Earth were spared the death and ravaging effects of this influenza. She details the excruciating symptoms of the virus and the rapid speed with which it was transmitted. The numbers are staggering with estimates of the dead ranging from 20 to more than 100 million. The death toll was so high that life expectancy in the United States dropped by 12 years in 1918. The equivalent numbers today would equate to the death of 1.5 million in the United States alone.
What the future will hold if an outbreak of this virus should strike again makes this book a compelling read. Ms. Kolata has researched and crafted a finely honed book that provides an open and honest vision of the potential disaster that lurks in the shadows. She has cast light onto this subject in a comprehensive as well as comprehensible manner. She has grasped the true nature and significance of the avian flu, as well as the importance of public awareness in the ability to cope with a future outbreak.

This book reads like a work of fiction, but every word is fact. The story of the devastation of the 1918 Influenza Pandemic and the subsequent decades-long search for the virus that caused it will frighten even the most jaded among us. That this deadly virus could one day return and kill hundreds of millions makes most other potential disasters pale by comparison. Gina Kolata tells the story with skill. Everyone needs to read this book.

Thank you Dr. Greene

You explain it in lay peoples terms for everyone to understand. This is a good book. What you have done is good public service

Boy, what a complete joke this book is... one of the WORST purchases I have made in a long time. Buyer Beware: A TOTAL WASTE OF MONEY!!!!!!!!!

I wholeheartedly recommend Dr. Jeffrey Greene's just published book, The Bird Flu Pandemic. Dr. Greene, a well respected physician, infectious disease specialist and teacher, writes with great clarity and in a most comprehensible style. He has the unique ability to present scientific material in a way that is both informative and readable. He addresses the various concerns and answers the many questions raised about this disease. As articles about Bird Flu are appearing almost daily in newspapers and periodicals, this book is most welcome.

Dr. Greene discusses the history of the influenza outbreaks of this century, with particular attention given to the Spanish Flu Pandemic of 1918. He writes of the Swine Flu scare of 1976 and the more recent SARS cases. He explains how much medical science has learned from these diseases and the importance of communication and planning in responding to a flu outbreak. He discusses the prevention and treatment of Bird Flu emphasizing the importance of developing a vaccine. He writes about Tamiflu, its' uses and limitations. This book is essential reading for anyone wishing to understand or expand his or her knowledge of this most timely and pertinent topic.