Global flu and you : a history of influenza
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Authors
Dehner, George
Advisors
Issue Date
2012
Type
Keywords
Influenza History , Influenza Epidemiology
Citation
Dehner, George. Global Flu and You: A History of Influenza. Reaktion Books, 2012.
Abstract
Table of Contents
Winter brings snow, ice, and freezing temperatures, but these climatic conditions are also the harbingers of another time of year: flu season. We all know the signs -- chills, fever, sore throat, muscle pains, coughing -- and hope that this common illness will make us sick for only a few days. But though the flu may seem harmless, influenza results in between 250,000 and 500,000 deaths every year and can spread virulently around the world. In pandemic years, the flu can kill millions. The recurrence of the Spanish Flu virus, the appearance and spread of Bird Flu, and the 2009 Swine Flu have heightened concerns about the dangers posed by flu pandemics. Drawing on his extensive research into influenza pandemics, George Dehner refutes the idea that these are a new phenomenon. In Global Flu and You, he traces the origins of the disease and outlines the societal and cultural changes that enabled the virus to become an epidemic threat. He reveals that while medical and scientific breakthroughs in studying and protecting against the virus have made rapid progress, demographic, economic, and technical changes have served to speed up and amplify the potential impacts of an influenza pandemic.
Description
Publisher
Reaktion Books