Review of 'Spillover: Animal Infections and the Next Human Pandemic' on 'Goodreads'
3 stars
I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the science and history of human pandemics, many of which have been caused by spillover viruses from animals.
This book was originally published in 2012, but the COVID 19 pandemic has brought its content to the forefront of our daily lives. The final two chapters of the book make it very clear that as a species, humans continue to increase our risk factors for spillover pandemics. COVID 19 is current, but it won't be the last, and the next one could be much worse.
Biology was never my strongest science, so for me the most engaging parts of this book are the stories and the histories. While I'd heard of most of the viruses outlined, most of the information provided was new to me. I knew nothing of Hendra and had a common but large misunderstanding of Ebola. The history of …
I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the science and history of human pandemics, many of which have been caused by spillover viruses from animals.
This book was originally published in 2012, but the COVID 19 pandemic has brought its content to the forefront of our daily lives. The final two chapters of the book make it very clear that as a species, humans continue to increase our risk factors for spillover pandemics. COVID 19 is current, but it won't be the last, and the next one could be much worse.
Biology was never my strongest science, so for me the most engaging parts of this book are the stories and the histories. While I'd heard of most of the viruses outlined, most of the information provided was new to me. I knew nothing of Hendra and had a common but large misunderstanding of Ebola. The history of HIV1 is wild.
A few other items of interest that stood out for me...
-- Yewei - the era of wild flavors movement in China
-- The history that places the first zoonotic exchange of HIV1 as early as 1908 and spreading unrecognized until the 1970s
-- Bats as a common reservoir host
-- The common practice of eating various monkeys and gorillas
-- Chapter 114 which lists the significant risk factors that will eventually cause another spillover pandemic.
----- Also the fact that non-spillover viruses are easier to eliminate because it can be wiped out via vaccine, but spillovers are difficult to eliminate because the viruses will continue to exist in animal hosts
I would really like an addition or a new coda to this book in a few years that provides details about COVID 19.
