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The Great Influenza

The Epic Story of the Deadliest Plague in History

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The Great Influenza

Written by: John M. Barry
Narrated by: Scott Brick
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In the winter of 1918, at the height of World War I, history's most lethal influenza virus erupted in an army camp in Kansas, moved east with American troops, then exploded, killing as many as 100 million people worldwide. It killed more people in twenty-four weeks than AIDS has killed in twenty-four years, more in a year than the Black Death killed in a century. But this was not the Middle Ages, and 1918 marked the first collision between modern science and epidemic disease. Magisterial in its breadth of perspective and depth of research, THE GREAT INFLUENZA weaves together multiple narratives, with characters ranging from William Welch, founder of the Johns Hopkins Medical School, to John D. Rockefeller and Woodrow Wilson. Ultimately a tale of triumph amid tragedy, this crisis provides us with a precise and sobering model as we confront the epidemics looming on our own horizon. 20th Century Americas Modern Physical Illness & Disease Science United States
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Critic Reviews

Over a year on The New York Times bestseller list

"Monumental... powerfully intelligent... not just a masterful narrative... but also an authoritative and disturbing morality tale." —Chicago Tribune

"Easily our fullest, richest, most panoramic history of the subject." —The New York Times Book Review

"Hypnotizing, horrifying, energetic, lucid prose..." —Providence Observer

"A sobering account of the 1918 flu epidemic, compelling and timely. —The Boston Globe

"History brilliantly written... The Great Influenza is a masterpiece." —Baton Rouge Advocate
All stars
Most relevant
The most definitive book on 1918 Influenza, which the author, John M Barry started writing in 1997 to sensitize the nations about impending gloom which almost everybody in the know were aware. But 1997 H5N1 outbreak happened and the author and every virologist, epidemiologist, ... knew that it can happen anytime. The book was published in 2004, but whatever concerns he had raised about our,- including all the institutions in the world,- preparedness he had expected in 2004, ... it is certain, we are not yet there, even now! Very sad!

The following are the most critical aspects of RNA Virus pandemic.

Swarm: When the RNA Virus attacks a single cell, it replicates and erupts out with 1,000s of Quasi-Species RNA viruses, due to mutations, to attack the next cell. It all happens just within a single body from one cell to another probably in few seconds to minutes.

Passage: Due to the above, the virus may get more and more virulent and violent, exponentially, after passing through a few patients!

So when such a pandemic erupts, not only doctors are grappling with tremendous known unknowns and many more times unknown unknowns too.

Since this issue is so scary even for the virologists, epidemiologists, ... whole community of health professionals ... and can't be solved with the present collective intellect, knowledge, wisdom, technology ... of entire humanity!

It can't be expressed. It becomes more difficult when people without any knowledge start offering HCQ or something else as the most potent weapon against the virus and some others gun for Antivaccine lobby!

But still, transparency coming out of courage of conviction is very much needed out of leadership to address the issue.

Our world leaders from different domains have to focus on their respective domains and come out with the solutions to address their own fields and simultaneously they need to engage the other leaders to address their own fields in the most synergistic manner. This need to be done out of utmost sincerity, integrity, honesty and altruism.

Comprehensive, Definitive & the Most Relevant!

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