An army of tiny organisms that cannot be seen with the naked eye, made up of bacteria, fungi, viruses, protozoa and microscopic algae, is still present in our world, dominates our lives, can outnumber us and even outnumber us in ways of overcoming our defenses.
Controlling infections is, even today, an entelechy. As if that were not enough, many mental illnesses and cancers could be the result of undomesticated microbes.
Increase in infections
Between 1980 and 2000, the number of pathogens grew by around 60 %. As the number of new pathogens increases, the mortality rate also increases. The number of people who died from pathogens increased by 22 %, discounting HIV.
Pandemic: Following the contagion of the pl's most lethal diseases (Essay)
90 % of epidemiologists stated in a survey conducted by epidemiologist Larry Brilliant that, within two generations, a pandemic will occur that will affect one billion people, kill 165 million and trigger a global recession that will cost up to three trillion dollars.
The reason for this pessimism arises, above all, from the shortcomings of our public health system, international cooperation models, the ease of global transportation, and a long etcetera.
These are some ideas that the investigative journalist develops Sonia Shah in his book Pandemic.
Shah weaves history, reportage, and personal experience to explore the origins of epidemics, drawing parallel lines between cholera—one of the deadliest pandemic-causing pathogens in history—and new diseases that threaten us today. Along the way, he reports on the pathogens now hot on the heels of cholera, from the MRSA bacteria that plagues his own family to never-before-seen killers emerging from China's wet markets, New Delhi's surgical suites, and backyards. east coast suburbanites. Delving into the convoluted science, politics, and checkered history of the world's deadliest diseases, Pandemic is a unique work of epidemiological history that poses urgent lessons for our time.
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The news
Books that inspire us: 'Pandemic' by Sonia Shah
was originally published in
Xataka Science
by
Sergio Parra
.