I was due to have lunch with Denise
Grady at the New York Times building in April … she wrote this book in
2006. A brilliant summary of Marburg, Ebola, Bird flu, SARS, Hanta virus
and more. Below is her introduction – could this really happen? And
it did! I hope all are coping with the lock-down which has affected
everyone, even dependency clinic procedures. There are many
'naturalistic' experiments going on around us and these need to be documented
when the time is right. AB ..
Introduction page:
Book Review – ‘Deadly Invaders’ by
Denise Grady 2006 – a New York Times Book.
Dear Reader,
Why write a review of a book written 14 years ago? Covid-19 has raised the spectre of a number of other viral outbreaks which are well documented in this concise, punchy and accessible book. Concerning the numerous outbreaks, the similarities as well as the differences have lessons for us all in today’s locked-down world. The introductory paragraph is so prescient it is spooky.
The first epidemic is in the first person as Grady describes a truly harrowing visit to Angola reporting on the emerging Marburg virus for her newspaper. This paralleled much of what happened with Ebola virus in the same part of the world.
The author then covers Avian Flu, HIV, Hantavirus, West Nile disease, SARS and Monkeypox. Each virus has one or more connections with animals, often non-domesticated and some with yet another third party host. Shades of the rat and flea from the Black Death of 1349 (which was not viral). These connections are revealed more like a Sherlock Holmes deduction than as straight journalism. Fruit and horseshoe bats, the giant Gambian rat, prairie dogs, chickens, pigs, chimpanzees, mosquitoes and more. We learn that fondness for exotic species, especially in America and China, has sparked some of the most damaging examples.
Each disease is given a report card with dates, origin, geographical spread, mortality, etc.
Global warming, shrinking forests and industrialisation are also awarded their share of blame for these epidemics. Older Australians will recall raised eyebrows at planes being sprayed with insecticide on arrival in the country … not so funny now.
This book is highly recommended.
Dear Reader,
Why write a review of a book written 14 years ago? Covid-19 has raised the spectre of a number of other viral outbreaks which are well documented in this concise, punchy and accessible book. Concerning the numerous outbreaks, the similarities as well as the differences have lessons for us all in today’s locked-down world. The introductory paragraph is so prescient it is spooky.
The first epidemic is in the first person as Grady describes a truly harrowing visit to Angola reporting on the emerging Marburg virus for her newspaper. This paralleled much of what happened with Ebola virus in the same part of the world.
The author then covers Avian Flu, HIV, Hantavirus, West Nile disease, SARS and Monkeypox. Each virus has one or more connections with animals, often non-domesticated and some with yet another third party host. Shades of the rat and flea from the Black Death of 1349 (which was not viral). These connections are revealed more like a Sherlock Holmes deduction than as straight journalism. Fruit and horseshoe bats, the giant Gambian rat, prairie dogs, chickens, pigs, chimpanzees, mosquitoes and more. We learn that fondness for exotic species, especially in America and China, has sparked some of the most damaging examples.
Each disease is given a report card with dates, origin, geographical spread, mortality, etc.
Global warming, shrinking forests and industrialisation are also awarded their share of blame for these epidemics. Older Australians will recall raised eyebrows at planes being sprayed with insecticide on arrival in the country … not so funny now.
This book is highly recommended.
Andrew Byrne ..
Conflict of interest: Denise Grady is a friend of many years who I was due to meet in New York this month. A wonderful journalist with insight and compassion in her writing.
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