The Next Pandemic, Dr. Ali S Khan
The Next Pandemic, Dr. Ali S Khan
2 Rating(s)
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The Next Pandemic
On the Front Lines Against Humankind's Gravest Dangers

Author: Dr. Ali S Khan, William Patrick

Narrator: Ben Sullivan

Unabridged: 8 hr 54 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: PublicAffairs

Published: 01/17/2017


Synopsis

An inside account of the fight to contain the world's deadliest diseases -- and the panic and corruption that make them worse.
Throughout history, humankind's biggest killers have been infectious diseases: the Black Death, the Spanish Flu, and AIDS alone account for over one hundred million deaths. We ignore this reality most of the time, but when a new threat -- Ebola, SARS, Zika, coronavirus -- seems imminent, we send our best and bravest doctors to contain it. People like Dr. Ali S. Khan.
In his long career as a public health first responder -- protected by a thin mask from infected patients, napping under nets to keep out scorpions, making life-and-death decisions on limited, suspect information -- Khan has found that rogue microbes will always be a problem, but outbreaks are often caused by people. We make mistakes, politicize emergencies, and, too often, fail to imagine the consequences of our actions.
The Next Pandemic is a firsthand account of disasters like anthrax, bird flu, and others -- and how we could do more to prevent their return. It is both a gripping story of our brushes with fate and an urgent lesson on how we can keep ourselves safe from the inevitable next pandemic.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Hannah on August 05, 2016

The Next Pandemic is largely Ali S. Khan's autobiographical account of his career as a public health first responder. Some intriguing accounts are given of various infectious diseases and life-threatening bacterium. A small portion of the book is dedicated to Khan's request that more preventative me......more

Goodreads review by MacWithBooksonMountains on March 15, 2024

This is an inside account of the fight to contain the world’s deadliest diseases and the panic and corruption that make them even worse. Throughout history, humankind’s biggest killers have been infectious diseases and modern technology enabling a level of globalization prior unimaginable, multiplied......more

Goodreads review by Brendan on February 10, 2019

Thanks to climate change and the increased presence of mosquitos in regions and seasons where they formerly didn't exist, many of the diseases that are currently afflicting the world are more prevalent than ever. While other diseases, like Ebola, have scarier and nastier symptoms, viral infections th......more

Goodreads review by Charlene on November 20, 2019

I probably would have given this 3 or 4 stars if it had been a straight forward narrative about various pandemics and human crises. I felt like this book was titled oddly because of the inclusion of Hurricane Katrina. It really isn't a pandemic. Seemed like sensationalism to title a book "The Next P......more

Goodreads review by Porter on March 26, 2020

Pandemics/history of diseases is one of my (minor) interests. It is a subject that I've been interested in for years and have read about on-and-off again for over 2 decades. I cannot say that this was the best book I've read on the subject, but it was thoroughly enjoyable (even during the COVID-19 pa......more


Quotes

"Skillfully chronicles the engrossing investigative work spawned by recent pathenogenic outbreaks....Well-written....Remarkable."—Publishers Weekly

"Hantavirus. Ebola. Avian flu. Monkeypox. Anthrax. Bioterror. Bubonic plague. West Nile virus. Rift Valley fever. SARS. Hurricane Katrina. Guinea worm. All over the USA, Africa, Asia, Latin America. Zoonoses from ticks, rodents, mosquitoes, bats, apes, camels. Poverty, inequity, prejudice, politics, war, mayhem, panic, prevention. Ali Khan's extraordinary achievements in public health have involved them all, and now readers can share the inside story of his global adventures involving what Khan calls the 'endless dance between microbes and humans.'"—Mark Pendergrast, author, Inside the Outbreaks

"Khan excels at writing for general readers. Not only does he describe the effects of specific diseases and how he investigates an outbreak and creates a plan to stop it, but he also creates vivid pictures of the setting, the people, and often the politics involved in diagnosis and treatment.... The details are sometimes disturbing, but Khan writes with verve, clarity, and a touch of humor."—Kirkus Reviews