The author takes the reader on a fifty-year journey through the world's battles with microbes and examines the worldwide conditions that have culminated in recurrent outbreaks of newly discovered diseases, epidemics of diseases migrating to new areas, and mutated old diseases that are no longer curable. These have fostered the spread of new and potentially devastating viruses and diseases : HIV, Lassa, Ebola, and others. Garrett (born 1951) had advanced to a doctoral candidacy in immunology at University of California at Berkeley before deciding that 'journalism would be more fun and interesting.' She learned the craft at a California radio station, eventually joining National Public Radio as a science correspondent. Laurie Garrett takes you on a fifty-year journey through the worlds battles with microbes and examines the worldwide conditions that have culminated in. Unpurified drinking water, improper use of antibiotics, local warfare, massive refugee migration have contributed to changing social and environmental conditions around the world. With the Ebola outbreak going on now in Western Africa I had to come and revisit this classic.

Each new disease/chapter starts with a journalistic story and ends with an educated informative narrative. She breaks down the emergence of Ebola and the other emerging viruses and what it could mean in a brilliantly entertaining way. She takes us through the history of viruses in a journalistic/story approach.

It is a much tighter more informative book. For anyone that has read the more popular book by Richard Preston 'The Hot Zone' this is a must read.

This is an amazing book that Laura Garrett wrote back in the 90's.

The coming plague by laurie garrett