"Marc Siegel is an articulate voice of reason in a world beset by hype
and hysteria. We would be well advised to listen closely to what he has
to say." --Jerome Groopman, M.D., staff writer, the New Yorker
"Siegel cuts through the hype about the 'deadly' this and the 'lethal'
that, and applies reason in seeking the answers." --John M. Barry,
author of The Great Influenza: The Epic Story of the Deadliest Plague
in History
"Timely and needed. At such times, we need soothsayers and explicators
to redirect the ready-fire-aim mindset. Siegel's book fulfills this role
well." --The Journal of the American Medical Association
As bird flu sweeps through Asia, the rest of the world has begun to
worry that it might spread west and start infecting humans. As many
experts have pointed out, an influenza pandemic is only a matter of time
and that time could be now. Or is it? In Bird Flu, Dr. Marc Siegel
cuts through the hype, the facts, the fears, and the realities to
explain what has the experts so worried and why there's still plenty of
reason to be calm. Among the questions he answers are:
- What is bird flu, and who has it?
- What can I do to protect my family?
- Should I stockpile Tamiflu?
- Will this be like the deadly Spanish flu of 1918?
- Why is there no bird flu vaccine?
- Will the annual flu shot protect me?
In his sensible and entertaining style, Siegel looks at the advances
we've made in treatments, the research still to be done, and the
challenges ahead for Asia to lay out a realistic plan for ending this
global threat. While a bird flu outbreak in the United States may or may
not happen this year, there's still a great deal of work to be done in
readying America for outbreaks of any kind.
