Ebook: Deadliest enemy: our war against killer germs

We are facing an overwhelming army of deadly, invisible enemies. We need a plan-before it's too late. Unlike natural disasters, whose destruction is concentrated in a limited area over a period of days, and illnesses, which have devastating effects but are limited to individuals and their families, infectious disease has the terrifying power to disrupt everyday life on a global scale, overwhelming public and private resources and bringing trade and transportation to a grinding halt. In today's world, it's easier than ever to move people, animals, and materials around the planet, but the same advances that make modern infrastructure so efficient have made epidemics and even pandemics nearly inevitable. And as outbreaks of Ebola, MERS, yellow fever, and Zika have demonstrated, we are woefully underprepared to deal with the fallout. So what can-and must-we do in order to protect ourselves from mankind's deadliest enemy' Drawing on the latest medical science, case studies, policy research, and hard-earned epidemiological lessons, Deadliest Enemy explores the resources and programs we need to develop if we are to keep ourselves safe from infectious disease. The authors show how we could wake up to a reality in which many antibiotics no longer cure, bioterror is a certainty, and the threat of a disastrous influenza pandemic looms ever larger. Only by understanding the challenges we face can we prevent the unthinkable from becoming the inevitable. Deadliest Enemy is high scientific drama, a chronicle of medical mystery and discovery, a reality check, and a practical plan of action.;Black swans and red alerts -- Annals of public health -- White coats and worn shoes -- The threat matrix -- The natural history of germs -- The new world order -- Means of transmission: bats, bugs, lungs, and penises -- Vaccines: the sharpest arrow in our quiver -- Malaria, AIDS, and TB: lest we forget -- Gain of function and dual use: the Frankenstein scenario -- Bioterror: opening Pandora's box -- Ebola: out of Africa -- SARS and MERS: harbingers of things to come -- Mosquitoes: public health enemy number one -- Zika: expecting the unexpected -- Antimicrobials: the tragedy of the commons -- Fighting the resistance -- Influenza: the king of infectious diseases -- Pandemic: from unspeakable to inevitable -- Taking influenza off the table -- Battle plan for survival.