INFLUENZA

Sub-titled ' The Hundred Year Hunt to Cure the Deadliest Disease In History'. 'Even though the initial influenza tested to be negative, Murray now repeated it using a much more sensitive technique. It revealed that Autumn had had the H1N1 Influenza virus, the same virus behind the swine flu outbreak of 2009. In a matter of hours, the virus had destroyed her lungs and was now attacking her heart muscle.' 'Autumn was finally strong enough to return to work. Her medical bills were close to two million dollars. She pulled through because she was close to a medical facility?' An academic from University College, London, Dr Jeremy Brown explores the terrifying and complex history of the flu virus. He looks at the controversy over vaccinations and governments' roles in preparing for pandemic outbreaks. Although a hundred years of advancement in medical research and technology have passed since the 1918 disaster, Dr Brown at the time of writing his book was warning that many of the most vital questions about the flu virus continue to confound even the leading experts. In his book he talks with leading epidemiologists, policymakers, and the researcher who first sequenced the genetic building blocks of the original 1918 virus. How close are we to finding a cure? Timely, interesting, engaging and sobering here is the data, intuition and other weapons of war, the fault in our stockpiles, Tamiflu and the cure that wasn't there, the continuing hunt for a flu vaccine traced right back to enemas, bloodletting and whisky cures of the past. Remainder mark, 258pp, paperback. Cover may vary.