The Viral Storm: The Dawn of a New Pandemic Age by Nathan Wolfe (PDF)

Description

“One of the world’s foremost virus hunters” (Financial Times), Stanford University biologist Nathan Wolfe reveals the origins of the world’s most deadly diseases and how we can combat and stop contagions.A “mix of biology, history, medicine, and first-hand experience [that] is potent and irresistible,”* The Viral Storm: The Dawn of a New Pandemic Age shares information Wolfe uncovered on his groundbreaking and dangerous research missions in the jungles of Africa and the rain forests of Borneo to provide an in-depth exploration of how lethal viruses evolved alongside human beings; how illnesses like HIV, swine flu, and bird flu almost wiped us out in the past; and why modern life has made our species vulnerable to the threat of a global pandemic.In a world where each new outbreak seems worse than the one before, Wolfe points the way forward, as new technologies are brought to bear in the most remote areas of the world to neutralize these viruses and even harness their power for the good of humanity. His provocative vision of the future will change the way we think about viruses, and perhaps remove a potential threat to humanity’s survival.“An astonishingly lucid book on an important topic. Deeply researched, yet effortlessly recounted.”—*Siddhartha Mukherjee, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Emperor of All Maladies

User’s Reviews

Reviews from Amazon users which were colected at the time this book was published on the website:

⭐I know enough about my fascination with viruses to know, as a non-scientist, my curiosity about them has more to do with philosophy than medicine but that may well be yet another reason for biologists (for just one group) to be equally ensnared by their subject.The Virus, for its opportunism in the extreme (parasitical is too meager a description) and because its very nature is controversial (is it Life or isn’t it? I agree with his footnote on the bottom of pg.8) can appear to be such a vast topic that no one author can be expected to resolve or ask or even comprehend all the questions. Wolfe, in his first 35 pages, does at least try – and it remains my favorite section of the book – his amazement with these microscopic life(?)forms is so engaging that if you didn’t have a respect for them before you will have afterwards. And, if the next 300 or so pages that come after it were just “so-so” for me that is not the fault of Wolfe, he has a wide readership to appeal to and just because I am not particularly interested in bureaucracies, who got what grant to do what and where does not mean that these aren’t valid sections for millions of others.But those first 35 pages, yes, they are heady indeed, Wolfe is delightful in both his recognition of just what makes these viruses so shocking and where we fit in their world (ie.”our bodies are their habitats,” p.27), and his conclusion in the first chapter, (Viral Planet) says it all: the viral world is the “new world,” the last frontier of undiscovered life on our planet.”Perhaps it is the Lewis Thomas phenomena, a flashpoint where scientist and non-scientist can co-exist in a mutual relationship of shared passion, be it horror or admiration, or both? There is much to admire in what a Virus is, or has been, or will be, and if I took nothing else away from Wolfe’s book it is that “we” are (numerically) a speck of life within a planetary Viral soup. These life forms are so relentlessly efficient, competent and resourceful that even bacteria (which we tend to think of as quite accomplished all on their own) are covered in viruses! And it goes far beyond just the numbers, “we” are not as dominant as we like to think we are, and Wolfe’s presentation of the Viral world inverted or turned inside out my naive and humanistic vanity that on this planet “we” are the masters. We survive because it suits the Virus to help or even make sure that we survive; even the health of the oceans and other aquatic regions are dependent upon viruses to reduce and recycle carbon by destroying bacteria there; as with carbon itself, without viruses “we” would not be here either.Aside from these initial pages I also found worthy discussions on bioterrorism and “bioerror” (see chap.8 Viral Rush) and the Gentle Virus (chap.11) which just reinforces my analogy that we are closer to being the non-thinking but accommodating host than they are haphazard non-cognitive scraps of DNA/RNA parasite!Give the first 35 pages a good read, and be prepared to lose that sense of superiority over these titans of the microscopic world.

⭐This book is ideal for those interested in learning about viruses, parasites, and bacterial threats to the human race. I admire Nathan Wolfe who has devoted his life to researching microbes with the ultimate goal of keeping people and animals safe. He’s led an exotic life travelling to all areas of the world, some in incredibly remote places, in his scientific quest. I don’t know what inspires someone to study the unseen, but thankful that people do.The book was written before COVID but it gives a great foundation for further reading. If Dr. Wolfe publishes an updated version, he might want to discuss how to improve the future handling of pandemics. He puts a lot of faith in the WHO and CDC when the book was written; both now discredited in their response to the worldwide pandemic. Many questions are not answered – where did the virus come from? Many believe it was inadvertently released from the Wuhan Institute of Virology where they were studying viral gain of function. The NIAID run by Dr. Fauci ironically donated millions of dollars to fund this research in the Wuhan lab. It would be interesting to know if we actually created COVID with our own taxpayer money!In an updated book, it would be appropriate to study our response to the pandemic, to see if the lockdown was more harmful than the virus which has a 99% survival rate. How many suicides, overdoses, and psychological disorders were caused by the crisis response by government bureaucrats. How do we stop politicians from using pandemics for their own political ends like Governor Newsom of California who said -There is opportunity (pandemic) for reimagining a progressive era as it pertains to capitalism. How do we stop power drunk politicians from making a bad situation even worse in future pandemics could be a book in itself.I recommend this book highly and look forward to future reading on the topic.

⭐Nathan Wolfe’s The Viral Storm should be required reading for everyone talking or worrying hysterically about the current Ebola outbreak. An internationally recognized expert in the fields of viral forecasting, immunology, infectious diseases and human biology, Dr. Wolfe’s book reads like a primer rather than a text book. His language is approachable for all readers.He breaks down how viruses, both good and evil, developed alongside humans. He tracks the history of viruses that are benign. We need them in our bodies to process food and protect us from the evil viruses.His discussions on how deadly viruses move from animal hosts to human hosts are the stuff of thrillers. Some, he points out, infect an individual and kill it, thereby stopping the transmission. Others, like HIV, swine flu and bird flu, are transmitted from human to human. Some,like Ebola and HIV, can only be transmitted through contact with bodily fluids. Others, swine and bird flu, are actually more dangerous because they easily pass through the human population by droplets in the air.I bought this book for research for a mystery I’m writing. The book works on that dimension. More importantly, it works as an educational work that takes the hysteria out of pandemics by talking calmly about what these viruses are, how they are transmitted and how they can be forecast at the beginning of an outbreak before it becomes an epidemic or, worse, a pandemic.I urge anyone interested in learning about illnesses to read this book. You will be better informed. Dr. Wolfe’s journey is mankind’s.

⭐I am reviewing this during the coronavirus epidemic in 2020. It is extremely informative and full of information which is still relevant. I have also read Spillover, and this is not as much of a thriller, but it is well written and absolutely riveting.

⭐If the current Corona virus pandemic hasn’t, highlighted humanity’s hubris, then this prescient work will certainly help the reader to recalibrate their position in the hierarchy of life.In a gripping combination of personal experience and hard nosed science Wolfe plots the path of humanity through hunter gathering, agriculture, animal husbandry, urbanisation, increasing connectivity and animal exploitation to the current pandemic.This is much more than a study of viruses, in widening the discussion to include: prions, archaea, bacteria and parasitic microorganisms the author creates a more holistic overview of the real dominant life form on Earth.Highlights are discussions on the evolution of HIV and the emerging evidence of the role of viruses as carcinogens, building on the work into HPV. Intriguing also is the growing links between schizophrenia, influenza and toxoplasma in cats.It isn’t all grim however with a chapter relating the positive contribution of microorganisms to human life, notably in the treatment of cancer via Seneca virus and other forms of virotherapy.It is clear that the key to managing future pandemics is dependent on cooperation on a global scale and the increased funding of agencies such as the WHO. Only by tackling poverty in the developing world and by restricting the trafficking of animals for sale can the risk of another pandemic be reduced.

⭐I enjoyed this, although it wasn’t quite what I expected.The examination of how pandemics occur, and how little stands between us and the next, was fascinating, and I applaud the author’s vision of a future in which, by using modern technology and advanced disease surveillance in animals and humans, we are able to predict, and stop, such outbreaks before they take hold.Surely that is something public health should be striving for!

⭐Interesting and accessible read on microbes and pandemic preparedness. Hopefully his wish for this global “control room” might happen sooner than later.

⭐Absolutely chock full of new information. A page turner … from the start it builds and keeps you going to find out the ultimate truth, the really important information about viruses and humans …. but in the end …. peters out.

Keywords

Free Download The Viral Storm: The Dawn of a New Pandemic Age in PDF format
The Viral Storm: The Dawn of a New Pandemic Age PDF Free Download
Download The Viral Storm: The Dawn of a New Pandemic Age 2011 PDF Free
The Viral Storm: The Dawn of a New Pandemic Age 2011 PDF Free Download
Download The Viral Storm: The Dawn of a New Pandemic Age PDF
Free Download Ebook The Viral Storm: The Dawn of a New Pandemic Age