On May 1, 2021, the Ebook, the first edition of Ivermectin for the World, was released as a call to action for the use of Ivermectin to end the humanitarian crisis in India with the COVID-19 Pandemic. Cases had surged to 414,000 per day, and deaths exceeded 4,000 per day. There was no end in sight - until the country adopted Ivermectin. As a direct result of the use of Ivermectin, cases and deaths in India dropped immediately, and the crisis in India was averted. The second edition of the book, Ivermectin for the World, documented these results in real time, through articles and reports using data and graphs from the Johns Hopkins University Center for Systems Science and Engineering, the JHU CSSE.

Among the highlights include the reprinted Desert Review articles, Ivermectin Obliterates 97 Percent of Delhi Cases, and Tamil Nadu Leads India in New Infections, Denies Citizens Ivermectin.

Following this, it became nearly impossible to deny the effectiveness of Ivermectin. A natural experiment in India developed, where one state, Tamil Nadu, outlawed Ivermectin, while others, including Goa, Uttarakhand, and Uttar Pradesh embraced it, and the divergence in cases and deaths left no doubt about Ivermectin's effectiveness, indeed at greater magnitudes than the vaccine.

This book provides the history, the science, and the experience of India in quelling their COVID-19 crisis with Ivermectin. We have released this second edition and paperback version of Ivermectin for the World with another call to action, this time for Indonesia to use Ivermectin to help with their humanitarian crisis which mirrors India's recent situation.

Ivermectin for the World, and its author, join with the British Ivermectin Development Panel, the Evidenced-Based Medical Consultancy and the FLCCC in calling for the immediate and widespread use of Ivermectin in Indonesia to end their crisis, just as India so successfully did. We call for the world to adopt Ivermectin, not instead of the vaccines, but in addition to them.

The hope is that the world and the public can break through the censorship and misinformation about this safe drug, and see the truth contained in this anthology of the Pandemic and learn from its use in India, Slovakia, and Mexico, where those countries conquered COVID-19 within weeks of adopting Ivermectin.

Are you still looking for a natural herpes remedy that really works, after months of searches with no success? Did you waste money and time on strange miraculous medicines that in the end were ineffective? Maybe you didn't read this book yet.

Nowadays, many people are suffering from this annoying virus, and most people also believe that there isn't any cure. Someone is carrying this virus without showing any symptom; on the other hand, most people show its signs, and herpes is fully shown within 2-12 days after the exposion to the HSV.

However, after the first exposion to the virus, its reappearances tend to happen more frequently; the bad news is that as time goes on, the remission period gets longer and more stressful.

In this book you will be able to find:

- How to recognize first symptoms of herpes and what are the best precautions to prevent the virus from relaps.

- The step-by-step process to naturally treat all types of herpes even if you have specific intolerances. I will provide different kind of food and and natural supplements to contain the virus and live better.

- Different recipes to follow and get inspired from.

- Which are the best alkaline foods to eat to prevent the virus from appearing and spreading.

And much, much more!

If you already tried different medicines, spent a lot of money and time with no effects, this book will surely give you the right information to eradicate the HSV from your body in no time at all!

Are you still in doubt?

Bear in mind that you don't need to spend a fortune on drugs and medications that won't work. Just follow simple rules to get a better lifestyle!

For more than 85 years health care professionals have referred to the Red Book for trustworthy guidance on pediatric infectious disease prevention, management, and control.

The new 33rd edition continues this tradition of distinction with the latest clinical guidance on the manifestations, etiology, epidemiology, diagnosis, and treatment of more than 200 childhood infectious diseases.

Find the latest information about vaccines, emerging novel diseases, diagnostic modalities, and treatment recommendations from the combined expertise of the CDC, the FDA, the NIH, and hundreds of physician contributors.

Red Book guidance spans far beyond the pediatric practice to include family medicine, emergency medicine, public health, school health, and other medical specialties.

New in the 2024 Red Book

• All chapters were assessed for relevance in the dynamic environment that is the practice of pediatric medicine today, and every chapter has been modified since the last edition.
• The chapter Discussing Vaccines With Patients and Parents has been significantly revised.
• Two new chapters on COVID-19 and Mpox have been added.
• Greatly expanded tables, figures, and algorithms enable quick access to essential information.
• The System-Based Treatment Table has been moved to the beginning of the book and has been reordered so that the grouped recommendations by body system are more easily and quickly accessed.
• Standardized approaches to disease prevention through immunizations, antimicrobial prophylaxis, and infection-control practices have been updated throughout the Red Book.
• Reference to evidence-based policy recommendations have been updated throughout the Red Book.
• Appropriate chapters throughout the Red Book have been updated to be consistent with 2024 AAP and CDC vaccine recommendations, CDC recommendations for immunization of health care personnel, and drug recommendations from 2024 Nelson's Pediatric Antimicrobial Therapy.
• The Breastfeeding and Human Milk chapter was updated to align with information in the 2022 AAP policy statement on breastfeeding.
• The listing of Codes for Commonly Administered Pediatric Vaccines, Toxoids, and Immune Globulins has been expanded.

This pictorial method is characterized by the fact that in the form of the liquid drop-after dripping on and drying--the result of preceding, living processes appears in the designed structures of an image. How do these 'living' structures come into being? -- Inge Just-Nastansky

This book was occasioned by the many patients who sought medical treatment for Covid or after receiving a Covid vaccine. The blood of these patients was studied using the method of drop-image microscopy. The results of this research--including examinations of the blood of vaccinated and unvaccinated as well as healthy and recovered patients--is documented here, along with normal cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and the CSF of a patient after three vaccinations.

The drop-image method has been used for over twenty years. The phenomena in the drop-images documented here have never been encountered before. Covid illness and vaccination bring about an unprecedented change in the blood--in some cases, a complete destruction of the protein structures. This raises many questions. Blood, as the central organ of the human organism, not only maintains our life but is the foundation of human freedom in perception, thinking, feeling, and action.

This book by no means represents a finished scientific study but rather an ongoing documentation that demonstrates the importance of the integrity and wholeness of the human body. The task of the physician is to help protect and maintain this integrity; the task of science is to address the many unanswered questions that arise through such research.

This volume is a translation from German of Corona-Blut-Phänomene: Mikroskopische Untersuchungen von Blut, Serum und Liquor gesund - geimpft - genesen (SchneiderEditionen, 2022).

Andreas Moritz unravels the mother of all vaccine lies - that vaccines are safe and they prevent disease. Furthermore, he reveals undeniable scientific proof that vaccines are actually implicated in most diseases today. The massive increase of allergies, eczema, arthritis, asthma, autism, acid reflux, cancer, diabetes (infant and childhood), kidney disease, miscarriages, many neurological and autoimmune diseases, and sudden infant death syndrome is largely due to vaccines.

This book reveals:

• Statistical evidence that vaccines never actually eradicated infectious diseases, including polio.
• How childhood vaccines, flu shots and other kinds of inoculations systemically destroy the body's immune system.
• Why vaccinated children have 120% more asthma, 317% more ADHD, 185% more neurologic disorders, and 146% more autism than those not vaccinated.
• The shocking fact that most outbreaks of infectious diseases occur largely among those who are fully vaccinated.
• Vaccines lack long-term safety testing and most vaccine side effects are never reported to protect vaccine-makers from liability suits.

In Vaccine-nation, Moritz minces no words while unraveling these and other skeletons in Big Pharma's closet and cautions you not to buy into the hollow claims of vaccine makers. In his characteristic style, Moritz offers a gentle and practical approach to a disease-free life, which rests on the fulcrum of the mind-body connection, cleansing of the body, and naturally healthy living.

A leading epidemiologist shares his powerful and necessary (Richard Preston, author of The Hot Zone) stories from the front lines of our war on infectious diseases and explains how to prepare for global epidemics -- featuring a new preface on COVID-19.
Unlike natural disasters, whose destruction is concentrated in a limited area over a period of days, and illnesses, which have devastating effects but are limited to individuals and their families, infectious disease has the terrifying power to disrupt everyday life on a global scale, overwhelming public and private resources and bringing trade and transportation to a grinding halt.
In today's world, it's easier than ever to move people, animals, and materials around the planet, but the same advances that make modern infrastructure so efficient have made epidemics and even pandemics nearly inevitable. And as outbreaks of COVID-19, Ebola, MERS, and Zika have demonstrated, we are woefully underprepared to deal with the fallout. So what can -- and must -- we do in order to protect ourselves from mankind's deadliest enemy?
Drawing on the latest medical science, case studies, policy research, and hard-earned epidemiological lessons, Deadliest Enemy explores the resources and programs we need to develop if we are to keep ourselves safe from infectious disease. The authors show how we could wake up to a reality in which many antibiotics no longer cure, bioterror is a certainty, and the threat of a disastrous influenza or coronavirus pandemic looms ever larger. Only by understanding the challenges we face can we prevent the unthinkable from becoming the inevitable.
Deadliest Enemy is high scientific drama, a chronicle of medical mystery and discovery, a reality check, and a practical plan of action.

As doctors and biologists have learned, to their dismay, infectious disease is a moving target: new diseases emerge every year, old diseases evolve into new forms, and ecological and socioeconomic upheavals change the transmission pathways by which disease spread. By taking an approach focused on the general evolutionary and ecological dynamics of disease, this Very Short Introduction provides a general conceptual framework for thinking about disease.

Ecology and evolution provide the keys to answering the where, why, how, and what questions about any particular infectious disease: where did it come from? How is it transmitted from one person to another, and why are some individuals more susceptible than others? What biochemical, ecological, and evolutionary strategies can be used to combat the disease? Is it more effective to block transmission at the population level, or to block infection at the individual level? Through a series of case studies, Benjamin Bolker and Marta L. Wayne introduce the major ideas of infectious disease in a clear and thoughtful way, emphasizing the general principles of infection, the management of outbreaks, and the evolutionary and ecological approaches that are now central to much research about infectious disease.

ABOUT THE SERIES:
The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

Award-winning New York Times reporter Donald G. McNeil, Jr. reflects on twenty-five years of covering pandemics--how governments react to them, how the media covers them, how they are exploited, and what we can do to prepare for the next one--in this fascinating, ferocious fusillade against humanity's two deadliest enemies: disease and itself (The Economist).

For millions of Americans, Donald G. McNeil, Jr. was a comforting voice when the COVID-19 pandemic broke out. He was a regular reporter on The New York Times's popular podcast The Daily and told listeners early on to prepare for the worst. He'd covered public health for twenty-five years and quickly realized that an obscure virus in Wuhan, China, was destined to grow into a global pandemic rivaling the 1918 Spanish flu. Because of his clear advice, a generation of Times readers knew the risk was real but that they might be spared by taking the right precautions. Because of his prescient work, The New York Times won the 2021 Pulitzer Gold Medal for Public Service.

The Wisdom of Plagues is must-reading for preparing us better for the next unavoidable epidemic (Peter Piot, MD, co-discoverer of Ebola) as McNeil shares his account of what he learned over a quarter-century of reporting in over sixty counties. Many science reporters understand the basics of diseases--from how a virus works to what goes into making a vaccine. But very few understand the psychology of how small outbreaks turn into pandemics, why people refuse to believe they're at risk, or why they reject protective measures like quarantine or vaccines. The COVID-19 pandemic was the story McNeil had trained his whole life to cover. His expertise and breadth of sources let him make many accurate predictions in 2020 about the course that a deadly new virus would take and how different countries would respond.

By the time McNeil wrote his last New York Times stories, he had not lost his compassion--but he had grown far more stone-hearted about how governments should react. He had witnessed enough disasters and read enough history to realize that while every epidemic is different, failure was the one constant. Small case-clusters ballooned into catastrophe because weak leaders became mired in denial. Citizens refused to make even minor sacrifices for the common good. They were encouraged in that by money-hungry entrepreneurs and power-hungry populists. Science was ignored, obvious truths were denied, and the innocent too often died. In The Wisdom of Plagues, one of the most enlightening books on public health (Lena Wen, MD), McNeil offers tough, prescriptive advice on what we can do to improve global health and be better prepared for the inevitable next pandemic.

Paul Farmer brings his considerable intellect, empathy, and expertise to bear in this powerful and deeply researched account of the Ebola outbreak that struck West Africa in 2014. It is hard to imagine a more timely or important book. --Bill and Melinda Gates

[The] history is as powerfully conveyed as it is tragic . . . Illuminating . . . Invaluable. --Steven Johnson, The New York Times Book Review

In 2014, Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Guinea suffered the worst epidemic of Ebola in history. The brutal virus spread rapidly through a clinical desert where basic health-care facilities were few and far between. Causing severe loss of life and economic disruption, the Ebola crisis was a major tragedy of modern medicine. But why did it happen, and what can we learn from it?

Paul Farmer, the internationally renowned doctor and anthropologist, experienced the Ebola outbreak firsthand--Partners in Health, the organization he founded, was among the international responders. In Fevers, Feuds, and Diamonds, he offers the first substantive account of this frightening, fast-moving episode and its implications. In vibrant prose, Farmer tells the harrowing stories of Ebola victims while showing why the medical response was slow and insufficient. Rebutting misleading claims about the origins of Ebola and why it spread so rapidly, he traces West Africa's chronic health failures back to centuries of exploitation and injustice. Under formal colonial rule, disease containment was a priority but care was not - and the region's health care woes worsened, with devastating consequences that Farmer traces up to the present.

This thorough and hopeful narrative is a definitive work of reportage, history, and advocacy, and a crucial intervention in public-health discussions around the world.

My greatest credential as a physician treating Lyme disease is that I've lived it. I've experienced virtually every symptom of Lyme disease, and in the process, learned exactly what it takes to overcome it. -- Bill Rawls, MD

Lyme disease is one of the most puzzling illnesses on the planet. Anyone who has suffered from its debilitating symptoms knows the frustrations of trying to find a cure.

Many sufferers drag themselves from one doctor or alternative practitioner to the next, getting lost in a maze of lab tests, prescription drugs, procedures and remedies. Thousands of dollars and months (or years) later, they realize they are no better off than where they started - in misery.

Unlocking Lyme puts an end to this desperate quest. Written by Dr. Bill Rawls, a physician who overcame Lyme disease himself, this book is a comprehensive, practical resource full of solutions that work.

What took Dr. Rawls 10 years to learn through intense research and personal experience, you can now learn and implement in a matter of months.

DR. RAWLS' STORY
Dr. Rawls was in the middle of a successful OB/GYN career when Lyme disease interrupted his life. In his struggle to overcome Lyme disease, he left no stone unturned. From conventional medicine to the full range of alternative therapies, Dr. Rawls researched every possible option to restore his health. Ultimately, he embraced modern herbal therapy as his preferred solution, but he recognizes that the path may be different for each person.

INSIDE THE BOOK
Unlocking Lyme is the sum of Dr. Rawls' experience, research, and practical solutions to date. The book is divided into four parts, each part addressing a critical aspect of recovery:

• Part 1 - Provides an overview of common misconceptions about what Lyme disease is (hint: it's more than just a tick bite and Borrelia infection)
• Part 2 - Provides information on how to obtain a diagnosis, despite current limitations in diagnostic testing for Lyme
• Part 3 - Discusses limitations of long-term antibiotic use, and offers an overview of holistic and non-toxic therapies for healing and symptom control (including pain, depression, insomnia)
• Part 4 - Explains how to embrace a healthier lifestyle so you can stay well; learn how to strengthen your immune system, microbiome, and balance in your body

In the years since his recovery, Dr. Rawls has helped thousands of patients find their path to healing from Lyme disease. Unlocking Lyme brings together Dr. Rawls' accumulated knowledge and is the key you need to get your life back.

TESTIMONIALS
Dr. Rawls understands the misery of chronic Lyme disease firsthand. Unlocking Lyme shares the approaches that he used to successfully recover his own health, and helps the reader understand that there is so much that can be done to regain a state of wellness and optimal health.
- Scott Forsgren, Editor and Founder, BetterHealthGuy.com

Dr. Rawls has spoken on his approach to Lyme disease for the past several years; his comprehensive approach and lifestyle guidance has helped many of our members. We heartily endorse his approach to helping deal with the symptoms of Lyme and other tick-borne illnesses.
- John Dorney, President, NC Lyme Disease Foundation

Unlocking Lyme delves into the science behind Lyme disease, explaining what it is, but more importantly how it can be overcome. Dr. Rawls carefully explains the various treatments for Lyme, leaving the reader feeling informed and empowered.
- Julie Ryan, E-Health Advocate, CountingMySpoons.com

Very Short Introductions: Brilliant, Sharp, Inspiring

Infectious disease is a moving target: new diseases emerge every year, old diseases evolve into new forms, and ecological and socioeconomic upheavals change the transmission pathways that spread disease. But where does disease come from? How is it transmitted from one person to another? And why are some individuals more susceptible than others?

In this Very Short Introduction, Marta Wayne and Benjamin Bolker address these questions through the lenses of ecology and evolution. Assessing the management of outbreaks of diseases such as influenza, HIV/AIDS, cholera, and COVID-19, they provide specific examples to illustrate why major diseases still threaten populations all over the world.

ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

A truly definitive work, this magisterial study draws on the latest evidence from across Europe to show in exhaustive detail the nature of the disease, its origin, spread, mortality, and its profound impact on history.

The Black Death was a disaster of huge magnitude, shaking medieval Europe and beyond to its economic and social core.
Building upon his acclaimed study of 2004, Ole Benedictow here draws upon new scholarship and research to present a comprehensive, definitive account of the Black Death and its impact on European history. The medical and epidemiological characteristics of the disease, its geographical origin, its spread across Asia Minor, the Middle East, North Africa, Europe and Russia, and the mortality in the countries and regions for which there are satisfactory studies, are clearly presented and thoroughly discussed. The pattern, pace and seasonality of the spread of the disease reflect current medical work and standard studies on the epidemiology of bubonic plague.
Benedictow's findings make it clear that the true mortality rate was far higher than had been previously thought: some 60% of Europe's population. In the light of those findings, the discussion of the Black Death as a turning point in history takes on a new significance.

Dr. Crozier's life was turned upside down when as a child he went from being a fun and adventurous little boy to being sickly, bed-ridden, and depressed. Pediatricians could make no sense of it and of course never asked about a tick bite. His symptoms eventually subsided, but then recurred throughout his teenage years and into adulthood. Through a complex and years-long journey, Dr. Crozier discovered he had Lyme Disease. He began to research Lyme: Reading about it, talking to other physicians and scientists, and then working with hundreds of patients who all expressed similar symptoms.

In Ticked Off, Dr. Crozier share what he's learned about Lyme. The purpose is to give you a perspective on Lyme you probably haven't heard before:

• The many signs and symptoms of Lyme disease, and how to recognize them as Lyme.
• The importance of a proper Lyme diagnosis and testing.
• How knowing and understand your genetics (your DNA) can help you find relief and even a cure.
• 5 things you can do now to begin to alleviate your Lyme symptoms.
• How some patients find faster and longer-lasting remission using IV-therapy.

Dr. Crozier knows firsthand how Lyme can destroy lives. He's angry for all his patients who are suffering without effective treatment or relief from their symptoms. He's also angry that traditional medicine and the medical research community is not taking Lyme seriously. But he's turned his anger into a POSITIVE and HOPEFUL passion to help someday find a cure to Lyme, and to find treatments that will help his patients get their lives back like he did.

A groundbreaking look at the connection between germs and mental illness, and how we can protect ourselves.

Is it possible to catch autism or OCD the same way we catch the flu? Can a child's contact with cat litter lead to schizophrenia? In her eye-opening new book, National Book Critics Circle Award-winning author Harriet Washington reveals that we can in fact catch mental illness. In Infectious Madness, Washington presents the new germ theory, which posits not only that many instances of Alzheimer's, OCD, and schizophrenia are caused by viruses, prions, and bacteria, but also that with antibiotics, vaccinations, and other strategies, these cases can be easily prevented or treated.

Packed with cutting-edge research and tantalizing mysteries, Infectious Madness is rich in science, characters, and practical advice on how to protect yourself and your children from exposure to infectious threats that could sabotage your mental and physical health.

In a few short years, Long COVID has established itself as one of our most significant health issues, estimated to have affected millions worldwide - and studies suggest that number is rising.

Until now, the lack of understanding and information around this chronic condition has meant that people have largely suffered in silence.

Here for the first time is a comprehensive overview of the disease, written by Professor Steven Faux, one of Australia's leading experts on the treatment of Long COVID. Drawing on up-to-the-minute research, it includes:

• Advice on diagnosis, key risk factors and prevention
• The very latest on how to identify and manage symptoms
• Tips for staying positive and dealing with uncertainty
• An overview of treatment options, for the short- and long-term, to ensure ongoing health and recovery
• PLUS case studies from Australians of all ages living with Long Covid.

This book is essential reading for those experiencing ongoing symptoms following a COVID-19 infection, their loved ones, and the thousands of health professionals trying to navigate this disease on behalf of their patients.

bVery Short Introductionsb: Brilliant, Sharp, Inspiring /b

Throughout history plague has been the cause of many major catastrophes. It was responsible for the 'Plague of Justinian' in 542, the Black Death of 1348, and the Great Plague of London in 1665, as well as for devastating epidemics in China and India between the 1890s and 1920s. In the 21st century Coronavirus pandemics have served as a powerful reminder that we have not escaped the global impact of epidemic diseases.

In this Very Short Introduction, Paul Slack takes a global approach to explore the historical and social impact of plague over the centuries, looking at the ways in which it has been interpreted, and the powerful images it has left behind in art and literature. Examining what plague meant for those who suffered from it, and how governments began to fight against it, he demonstrates the impact plague has had on modern notions of public health, and how it has shaped our history. This new edition also includes evidence on the nature of plague taken from recent discoveries in ancient DNA as well as new research on plague in the Middle East.

ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

Alcoholic liver disorder is liver harm because of consuming an excessive amount of alcohol for a long term. -In trendy, the quantity of alcohol fed on (how an awful lot, how regularly, and for the way long) determines the threat and severity of liver harm.-Symptoms variety from none at first to fever, jaundice, fatigue, and a smooth, painful, and enlarged liver, then to more critical issues such as bleeding within the digestive tract and deterioration of mind feature.-To assist perceive whether consuming is a trouble, doctors may additionally deliver the person a questionnaire and ask family members how an awful lot the man or woman beverages.-If humans who've been consuming in excess have signs and symptoms of liver ailment, medical doctors do blood checks to assess the liver and sometimes do a liver biopsy.-The best remedy is to forestall consuming alcohol, but doing so could be very hard and requires assist, regularly in rehabilitation programs.About 8.5% of adults inside the United States are predicted to have alcohol use sickness in any given 12 months. About twice as many men as women abuse alcohol.Most alcohol, after being absorbed inside the digestive tract, is processed (metabolized) in the liver. As alcohol is processed, substances which could harm the liver are produced. The extra alcohol someone beverages, the greater the harm to the liver. When alcohol damages the liver, the liver can hold to characteristic for a while due to the fact the liver can now and again get over slight harm. Also, the liver can function usually even if approximately 80% of its far broken. However, if people hold to drink alcohol, liver harm progresses and might ultimately result in death. If humans stop drinking, some damage can be reversed. Such people are in all likelihood to stay longer.

Paul Farmer has battled AIDS in rural Haiti and deadly strains of drug-resistant tuberculosis in the slums of Peru. A physician-anthropologist with more than fifteen years in the field, Farmer writes from the front lines of the war against these modern plagues and shows why, even more than those of history, they target the poor. This peculiarly modern inequality that permeates AIDS, TB, malaria, and typhoid in the modern world, and that feeds emerging (or re-emerging) infectious diseases such as Ebola and cholera, is laid bare in Farmer's harrowing memoir rife with stories about diseases and human suffering.

Using field work and new scholarship to challenge the accepted methodologies of epidemiology and international health, Farmer points out that most current explanatory strategies, from cost-effective treatment to patient noncompliance, inevitably lead to blaming the victims. In reality, larger forces, global as well as local, determine why some people are sick and others are shielded from risk. Yet this moving autobiography is far from a hopeless inventory of insoluble problems. Farmer writes of what can be done in the face of seemingly overwhelming odds, by physicians and medical students determined to treat those in need: whether in their home countries or through medical outreach programs like Doctors without Borders. Infections and Inequalities weds meticulous scholarship in medical anthropology with a passion for solutions--remedies for the plagues of the poor and the social illnesses that have sustained them.

In March 2020 POLITICO reported that after the Ebola outbreak in 2014, the Obama Administration's National Security Council had prepared a detailed, thorough pandemic playbook that was available to Trump administration officials, who treated it dismissively and did not draw on it during the response to the coronavirus. The leaked 69-page PowerPoint is reproduced in full color in durable hardcover landscape format, a crucial resource for understanding the Trump administration's response to COVID-19.

The Playbook describes itself as follows: a decision-making tool that identifies: (1) questions to ask; (2) agency counterparts to consult for answers to each; and (3) key decisions which may require deliberation through the Presidential Policy Directive (PPD)-1 process or its successor National Security Council process. This is a document with an optimistic view of its role in the world. It is not clear that policy leaders in any Administration are actually interested in outsourcing their decision-making to a tool developed by a previous admninistration. To the contrary, policy-makers typically place a great deal of emphasis on getting their own people in place to ask the right questions.

The main body of the Playbook is comprised of two major sections, one for international events that have not yet reached the US and one for events with a US locus. For each, a Rubric is provided that is not intended to serve as a comprehensive concept of operations or replace national or pre-existing U.S. Government response structures, but rather to serve as a proposed guide based on existing authorities, guidance, and response frameworks for staff monitoring emerging infectious disease threats and interagency planning and response, should the need arise in the future. The key words are for staff monitoring emerging infectious disease threats... -- in other words, this document was intended for use by staff who are monitoring things, rather than for policy makers who are deciding them.

The Rubrics explicitly spell out key assumptions--for example, on the domestic side that the U.S. Government will use all powers at its disposal to prevent, slow, or mitigate the spread of an emerging infectious disease threat... The drafters did not include any language such as unless it might hurt the stock market. Both Rubrics contain exhaustive lists of important questions and decisions that correspond well with what we know now to have been important in the response to COVID-19.

An Appendix contains several useful resources, including a laundrty list of declarations and mitigation options -- things that the US government or other agencies can declare and do, specifically including pharmaceutical, medical, travel-related and community interventions. Some of the latter will seem remarkably familiar:

a. Voluntary home isolation of the ill and home quarantine of the exposed

b. Dismissal of students from schools

c. Social distancing measures, such as telework

d. Cancellation of large public gatherings; and

e. Widespread use of personal protective devices

A section on Communications envisages the Secretary of HHS as the primary spokesperson. No mention is made of daily 5 pm press conferences with the President.

Readers who enjoy works like THE GREAT INFLUENZA, CONTAGION, and THE ANDROMEDA STRAIN will find this a fascinating look behind the curtain. Also an ideal gift for that no masks relative who just will not read the peer-reviewed science that you patiently email to them

The fascinating story of the intensive search to discover and possess quinine--the only known cure for malaria

Malaria kills someone every 12 minutes in Africa. Now known mostly as a disease of the tropics, malaria led to the demise of the Roman Empire 2,000 years ago and ravaged Europe for years afterwards. At the start of the 17th century, Jesuit priests developed quinine, an alkaloid made out of the bitter red bark of the cinchona tree from the Andes. When quinine arrived in Europe, the Protestant powers resisted the medicine fearing that it was a Popish poison. Quinine's reputation improved, however, when King Charles II was cured of malaria through its offices. Through the centuries, wars were fought to control the supply-through the building of the Panama Canal and into WWII--until Americans synthesized quinine for the first time in 1944.

Rocco describes the ravages of the disease, the search for a cure, and the quest to steal and smuggle cinchona seeds out of South America. The Miraculous Fever Tree deftly illuminates the religious and scientific rivalries, intrepid exploration and colonization evinced by the search for quinine.