Emerging Biological Threats: A Reference Guide

by Joan R. Callahan

Overview

An engaging, nontechnical discussion of the infectious diseases and other biological threats that pose the highest risk to humans, presented in the context of relevant environmental and sociological trends.

What biological agents should we truly be afraid of? Which have garnered more attention than they warrant? Emerging Biological Threats: A Reference Guide is the antidote for the confusion surrounding the potentially devastating impact of pathogens on the human community. Written by a frontline professional in epidemiology, it is the most authoritative yet engagingly written resource available on the real risks we face, and the countermeasures used to confront them.

Emerging Biological Threats provides the information needed to understand significant direct threats to human health, as well as those that impact us indirectly by destroying livestock and crops. Focused primarily on the United States, it offers science-based yet accessible explorations of HIV, influenza, drug-resistant pathogens, tuberculosis, meningitis, and more. In addition, the book assesses current predictions about the future spread of various diseases as a result of climate change and overpopulation. The book concludes with chapters on relevant environmental and sociological trends and a discussion of current public health strategy.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780313372094
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	12/23/2009
Pages:	344
Product dimensions:	7.20(w) x 10.10(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Joan R. Callahan has a PhD from the University of Arizona and has worked as a researcher and consultant for over 30 years, most recently as an epidemiologist for the Naval Health Research Center and as a contractor for the National Institute of Standards and Technology.

Table of Contents

Preface xi

1 Introduction 1

Public Health: A Short History 2

Koch and His Postulates 2

Hazard, Threat, and Risk 2

Outbreaks, Epidemics, and Pandemics 6

What Is Popular Culture? 6

More Definitions 6

So How Bad Is It? 6

2 Five Big Ones 9

HIV Disease and AIDS 9

Malaria 18

Tuberculosis 25

Influenza 32

Hepatitis B and C 40

3 Five More (and Complications) 49

Measles 49

Dysenteries and Enteric Fevers 55

Dengue and Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever 63

Bad Bugs and Miracle Drugs 69

Emerging Diseases 76

What about Pneumonia? 86

What about Meningitis and Encephalitis? 92

Conclusion 101

4 Food Insecurity 103

What about Bees? 103

Mad Cow Disease 104

Foot-and-Mouth Disease 109

Anthrax 113

Rinderpest 117

Heartwater 120

Classical Swine Fever 124

Blue-Ear Pig Disease 128

Newcastle Disease 132

Avian Influenza 136

Honeybee Colony Collapse Disorder 141

Conclusion 146

5 Food Insecurity, Continued 147

Citrus Tristeza Virus 147

Bacterial Wilt 156

Southern Corn Leaf Blight 160

Citrus Canker 163

Late Blight of Potato 167

Soybean Rust 171

Witches' Broom Disease 174

Phoma Stem Canker 178

Asian Soybean Aphid 182

Locusts 186

Conclusion: One to Grow On 190

6 Making Things Worse 193

Too Many Babies: Overpopulation 193

Too Much Carbon: Global Climate Change 199

Not Enough Food: Famine, Pestilence, Destruction, and Death 204

Too Much Food: Metabolic Syndrome and Type 2 Diabetes 208

Too Many Sick People: The Healthcare Crisis 212

Too Many Angry People: Bioterrorism 217

Too Many Experts: The Bogus Health Industry 222

Too Many Drugs: Substance Abuse 227

Too Much UV: Stratospheric Ozone Depletion Revisited 231

Too Many Cooks: Environmental Management Issues 235

Conclusion 241

7 Fighting Back 243

Part 1 Balking the Enemy's Plans 244

Health Education 244

Better Food 246

A Higher Power 250

Basic Research 252

Water, Toilets, and Garbage 254

Part 2 Preventing the Junction of the Enemy's Forces 256

Lookouts: Surveillance and Screening 257

Arming the People: Vaccination 260

Holding the Line: Convenient Barriers 265

The Fifth Column: Ringers and Decoys 268

A Clean Camp: Home, School, and Workplace 269

Part 3 Attacking the Enemy's Army in the Field 272

Killing the Enemy: Snipers and WMDs 273

Disabling the Enemy's Transportation: Inconvenient Barriers 275

Destroying the Enemy's Resources: Habitat Modification 278

Enlisting Allies: Biological Controls 280

Bugout: Postexposure Prophylaxis 282

Part 4 Besieging Walled Cities 284

Mopping Up: Disease Eradication and Elimination 284

Occupation: Public Health Enforcement 290

Recruitment: Help Wanted 292

Who's Going to Pay for This? 293

Tuberculosis: The Million-Year War 295

Postscript: Making Friends 297

Index 299

Editorial Reviews

Callahan, who has worked as a researcher and consultant and most recently as an epidemiologist for the Naval Health Research Center, provides a resource on significant biological threats to human health, as well as those having indirect impact by destroying livestock and crops. Focusing on the US, she explores HIV, influenza, drug-resistant pathogens, tuberculosis, meningitis, malaria, hepatitis B and C, measles, and other diseases; animal diseases like mad cow disease and avian flu; threats to crops like citrus tristeza virus, late blight of potato, and bacterial wilt; human activities that have increased the risk associated with certain diseases, including overpopulation, the healthcare crisis, and global climate change; and what can be done about them. In discussing these threats, she incorporates information on popular culture, the threat level, risk factors, statistics, history, and prevention and treatment.” —SciTech Book News

“This handbook is a good starting point for undergraduate students.” —Booklist

“Callahan has written an engaging, readable introductory reference book on emerging infectious diseases. . . . This book will be a useful addition to reference collections on infectious diseases and public health. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-level undergraduates, two-year technical program students, and general readers.” —Choice

“The book will be of use to educationalists at all levels, to find good, exciting and accurate information. … Science jourbanalists will get leads and general news jourbanalists now have a place to check before they publish. One could add politicians (or at least their advisors and script writers) to the potential audience for this book. Like the other works produced by Greenwood Press this book is easy to use. It is interesting enough to read from cover-to-cover, but it also works well as a reference book. It would be a good book for public libraries.” —Reference Reviews

From the Publisher