Overview

How close are we to having another worldwide health crisis? Epidemiologists predict that another pandemic is coming-one that could kill hundreds of millions of people. Learn about factors that contribute to the spread of disease by examining past pandemics and epidemics. Examine case studies of potential pandemic diseases, and discover how scientists strive to contain and control the spread of disease both locally and globally. See how human activities such as global air travel and the disruption of animal habitats contribute to the risk of a new pandemic. And investigate the challenges we face with antibiotic-resistant bacteria and mutating viruses. Can scientists control the spread of disease and prevent the next pandemic?

Full Product Details

9781512452150

Table of Contents

Reviews

The bubonic plague might seem like ancient history, but this book lays out for young researchers the factors which created that famous pandemic, and which factors in our world are contributing to the possible arrival of a new pandemic (which, incidentally, epidemiologists believe will strike in the next 30 years). After explaining the difference between an outbreak, an endemic, an epidemic, and a pandemic, the book presents case studies of (mainly recent) global health crises and the likelihood that they will lead to a new pandemic. Included in the discussion is how modern issues such as increased global air travel, loss of animal habitats, and increased reliance on antibiotics are contributing to the likelihood of an emerging pandemic. The book is full of scientific and medical detail, all of which is well explained within the text, though it is on the dry side. There is a lot to alternately fascinate and frighten. Source notes, a glossary, selected bibliography, index, and four pages of further information sources round out this report-ready resource. --Booklist --Journal Goldsmith explores pandemics and their origins, beginning with recent scares and outbreaks that have dominated the news cycle such as the Zika virus and Ebola. The author then moves to the Black Death in the Middle Ages and the early 20th-century flu epidemic and outlines a history of pandemics over time while explaining the science. As a result, this is a scary book. Readers are given detailed information on how climate change and other environmental factors are creating opportunities for superbugs and bacteria to cause an increase in the chances for a potentially contagious illness. The final chapter, 'Preventing a Pandemic, ' gives readers an overview of which activities they can change in their lives to prevent a worldwide outbreak. Goldsmith's writing is accessible and explains scientific terminology throughout. Nearly every spread contains a full-color photograph or diagram. VERDICT Current and detailed, this is an ideal fit for middle and high school libraries. --School Library Journal --Journal Experts predict the next pandemic will hit humanity in the coming two to three decades, possibly sooner: What will it be? Science writer and nurse Goldsmith (Addiction and Overdose, 2017, etc.) tackles the world of deadly viruses in her latest volume, outlining many of the exacerbating factors. These include increased travel, climate change, destruction of animal habitats, human conflict and overcrowding, and the overuse of antibiotics. The author is frank in explaining that these human activities that contribute to the risk of another pandemic--quite possibly influenza--are unlikely to change in the near future. She dedicates the final section of the book to covering the plans international organizations, such as the World Health Organization and Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, are setting in place. These strategies vary from the expected (developing new vaccines) to the eye-opening (creating genetically modified mosquitos to combat dengue fever). Ending on a hopeful note, the book describes what readers can do to help. Origin stories about various outbreaks successfully break up the narrative, which takes a matter-of-fact tone when describing subjects that can easily be sensationalized. Frequent text boxes, color photographs, and diagrams provide additional material without disrupting the general flow. An informative, readable text that will appeal to those interested in the subject as well as students seeking material for reports. --Kirkus Reviews --Journal

Goldsmith explores pandemics and their origins, beginning with recent scares and outbreaks that have dominated the news cycle such as the Zika virus and Ebola. The author then moves to the Black Death in the Middle Ages and the early 20th-century flu epidemic and outlines a history of pandemics over time while explaining the science. As a result, this is a scary book. Readers are given detailed information on how climate change and other environmental factors are creating opportunities for superbugs and bacteria to cause an increase in the chances for a potentially contagious illness. The final chapter, 'Preventing a Pandemic, ' gives readers an overview of which activities they can change in their lives to prevent a worldwide outbreak. Goldsmith's writing is accessible and explains scientific terminology throughout. Nearly every spread contains a full-color photograph or diagram. VERDICT Current and detailed, this is an ideal fit for middle and high school libraries. --School Library Journal --Journal Experts predict the next pandemic will hit humanity in the coming two to three decades, possibly sooner: What will it be? Science writer and nurse Goldsmith (Addiction and Overdose, 2017, etc.) tackles the world of deadly viruses in her latest volume, outlining many of the exacerbating factors. These include increased travel, climate change, destruction of animal habitats, human conflict and overcrowding, and the overuse of antibiotics. The author is frank in explaining that these human activities that contribute to the risk of another pandemic--quite possibly influenza--are unlikely to change in the near future. She dedicates the final section of the book to covering the plans international organizations, such as the World Health Organization and Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, are setting in place. These strategies vary from the expected (developing new vaccines) to the eye-opening (creating genetically modified mosquitos to combat dengue fever). Ending on a hopeful note, the book describes what readers can do to help. Origin stories about various outbreaks successfully break up the narrative, which takes a matter-of-fact tone when describing subjects that can easily be sensationalized. Frequent text boxes, color photographs, and diagrams provide additional material without disrupting the general flow. An informative, readable text that will appeal to those interested in the subject as well as students seeking material for reports. --Kirkus Reviews --Journal The bubonic plague might seem like ancient history, but this book lays out for young researchers the factors which created that famous pandemic, and which factors in our world are contributing to the possible arrival of a new pandemic (which, incidentally, epidemiologists believe will strike in the next 30 years). After explaining the difference between an outbreak, an endemic, an epidemic, and a pandemic, the book presents case studies of (mainly recent) global health crises and the likelihood that they will lead to a new pandemic. Included in the discussion is how modern issues such as increased global air travel, loss of animal habitats, and increased reliance on antibiotics are contributing to the likelihood of an emerging pandemic. The book is full of scientific and medical detail, all of which is well explained within the text, though it is on the dry side. There is a lot to alternately fascinate and frighten. Source notes, a glossary, selected bibliography, index, and four pages of further information sources round out this report-ready resource. --Booklist --Journal

Author Information

Connie Goldsmith is a registered nurse with a bachelor of science degree in nursing and a master of public administration degree in health care. She has written numerous books for YA readers and nearly two hundred magazine articles. Her recent books include Kiyo Sato: From a WWII Japanese Internment Camp to a Life of Service (2020), a Junior Library Guild selection; Running on Empty: Sleeplessness in American Teens (2021); Understanding Coronaviruses: SARS, MERS, and the COVID-19 Pandemic (2021); and Bombs Over Bikini: The World's First Nuclear Disaster (2014), a Junior Library Guild selection, a Children's Book Committee at Bank Street College Best Children's Book of the Year, an Association of Children's Librarians of Northern California Distinguished Book, and an SCBWI Crystal Kite Winner. She lives in Sacramento, California. Visit her website at http://www.conniegoldsmith.com/.

Tab Content 6

Countries Available