Epidemic

Ebola and the Global Scramble to Prevent the Next Killer Outbreak

By: Reid Wilson

Narrated by: Jonathan Yen

Length: 11 hrs and 55 mins

Publisher's summary

A global health catastrophe narrowly averted. A world unprepared for the next great threat.

In December 2013, a young boy in a tiny West African village contracted the deadly Ebola virus. The virus spread to his relatives, then to neighboring communities, then across international borders. The world's first urban Ebola outbreak quickly overwhelmed the global health system and threatened to kill millions.

In an increasingly interconnected world in which everyone is one or two flights away from New York or London or Beijing, even a localized epidemic can become a pandemic. Ebola's spread through West Africa to Nigeria, the United Kingdom and the United States sounded global alarms that the next killer outbreak is right around the corner - and that the world is woefully unprepared to combat a new deadly disease.

From the poorest villages of rural West Africa to the Oval Office itself, this book tells the story of a deadly virus that spun wildly out of control - and reveals the truth about how close the world came to a catastrophic global pandemic.

©2018 The Brookings Institution (P)2018 Tantor

Worth reading if pandemic response matters

It’s hard to believe that a book published a few years ago when we had never heard of Covid19 would be so interesting. The major Ebola outbreak in West Africa has many lessons for now and in our future. For example, what if the president when Covid appeared had called together all our “tribal“ leaders and shown them the facts about Covid and gotten them on board? Hundreds of thousands of American lives would have been saved.

Great storytelling and incredible story to share

This book shared a more complete picture of the Ebola epidemic, beyond outlet stories and the fear of the virus. The reality is that public crises are inherently political as they do not exist in a vacuum from our inherently political society. I felt that this book shared both the scientific reality and the politics of the epidemic. I am also so grateful this book exists to tell the stories of those offered aid. We may have never heard these stories and it’s important for them to be shared.

Ebola

Global response to very dangerous viruses and what to do to stop this problem spreading.

Horrible writing.

Tiny amount of interesting fact thrown in with subjective political commentary. I was hoping for real details and was certainly not expecting all of the political commentary. Avoid this book if you want anything unbiased.

informational worth low

given previous administration it's as if they tried to spread it with enpt people most part this book is just good for information, military had it's hands tied.