\u201cBird Flu\u201d, by John Farndon (Published by disinformation [ALL ACCESS] series<\/p>\n
Review by Kent Manthie<\/p>\n
Everything you need to know about Bird Flu but didn\u2019t have a clue about to be able to ask, that is the idea behind \u201cBird Flu.\u201d With the big fuss swirling around the H5N1 strain of influenza virus that is waiting in the wings, so to speak; poised on the diving board, ready to jump into the human species from pigs and birds. \u201cBird Flu (Everything You Need to Know)\u201d is the latest in the [ALL ACCESS] series put out by disinformation Books, written by John Farndon with a foreword by professor of virology and vice chancellor of the University of Cambridge, Tony Minson.
\n [ALL ACCESS] is a series of books published by disinformation Books, a small press that is big on current affairs, public interest and similar titles. These are designed to be timely books that bring to light as much information and up-to-date statistics, ideas, news about topics that affect the world or a large section of it. They\u2019re written by qualified writers who bring a wealth of knowledge and research to the topic at hand and they\u2019re written quickly, which is essential to get them out in time to be worthwhile and even helpful to the general public; the ordinary concerned citizen.
\n Usually a virus makes its way to human-to-human transmissibility via a route that goes from birds then to pigs and it\u2019s from pigs that it usually jumps to humans. Right now it has been mainly infecting poultry, but there have been some isolated cases of humans catching it from birds. Usually it\u2019s when poultry farmers are in close proximity to turkeys, chickens and the like. They catch it from the birds, but are not contagious to other humans; that is the way it\u2019s supposed to be, but with all the concentration of people in crowded urban areas; when rural farming lands abut cities, towns and other populated places, these pathogens have an easier time finding hosts to invade and infect.
\n John Farndon has written a slim volume full of relevant facts and historical information about infectious diseases. He has a handle on this stuff; he knows whereof he writes. A writer by trade, author of a number of reference books and textbooks, he has done an excellent job researching this book, compiling some very interesting and revealing facts about the genesis of diseases, the way they develop, how they attack and how the body\u2019s immune system works and what is done to fight off pathogens, bacteria and viruses. He carefully lays out the differences between bacteria-borne illness and viruses, noting that mistaking one for the other will result in an ineffective and incorrect treatment. Then we get into influenza, specifically the H5N1 strain of influenza, which, by the way, is close to the strain of flu that killed ten times the people that the just-finished World War I killed, in 1918-19: 100 million people all over the globe.
\n With amazing detail and minute, factual data and statistics one can read up on and get a crash course in pathogenesis, virology and the politics of influenza too. In only 125 pages I read about the history of infectious disease, the biology of the human immune system, the workings of pathogens and got a more specified account of influenza. What a wild ride.
\n I came away from reading \u201cBird Flu\u201d having learned a thing or three, insight into the workings of both the human body and viruses in general, the flu specifically. But, also important was the fact that this was done in a clear, lucid and objective way; it wasn\u2019t an alarmist tract, an end-of-the-world scare book or a diatribe assigning blame for the flu or other viruses. It gives you an amazing amount of information; an edifying account that is recommended to anyone who wants to learn about how to avoid chaos and uncertainty in the near-term future with the threat of Influenza hanging over the world. (http:\/\/www.disinfo.com) \u2013 KM.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u201cBird Flu\u201d, by John Farndon (Published by disinformation [ALL ACCESS] series Review by Kent Manthie Everything you need to know about Bird Flu but didn\u2019t have a clue about to be able to ask, that is the idea behind \u201cBird Flu.\u201d With the big fuss swirling around the H5N1 strain of influenza virus that is waiting in the wings, so […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1],"tags":[61],"class_list":["post-92","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-archive","tag-bird-flu-book-review"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":9001,"url":"http:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/2013\/06\/20\/book-review-50-american-revolutions-youre-not-supposed-to-know-reclaiming-american-patriotism\/","url_meta":{"origin":92,"position":0},"title":"book review: 50 AMERICAN REVOLUTIONS YOU\u2019RE NOT SUPPOSED TO KNOW – Reclaiming American Patriotism","author":"Reviewer Rob","date":"June 20, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"[Books] 50 AMERICAN REVOLUTIONS YOU\u2019RE NOT SUPPOSED TO KNOW - Reclaiming American Patriotism Tweet \u201cMy country, right or wrong!\u201d Reviewed by Bob Yunger 50 AMERICAN REVOLUTIONS YOU\u2019RE NOT SUPPOSED TO KNOW - Reclaiming American Patriotism, by Mickey Z, 155 pages, 5x5\u201d paperback, from Disinformation Many years ago I read Kurt\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "books"","block_context":{"text":"books","link":"http:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/category\/books\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"50 AMERICAN REVOLUTIONS YOU\u2019RE NOT SUPPOSED TO KNOW - Reclaiming American Patriotism","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/reviewermag.com\/press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/50-American-Revolutions-150x150.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":95,"url":"http:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/2006\/07\/02\/50-american-revolutions-you%e2%80%99re-not-supposed-to-know-book-review\/","url_meta":{"origin":92,"position":1},"title":"50 American Revolutions You\u2019re Not Supposed To Know book review","author":"admin","date":"July 2, 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"\u201c50 American Revolutions You\u2019re Not Supposed To Know\u201d (disinformation) Book review by John Trent This cat that goes by the handle Mickey Z has put together a compendium of 50 things he deems radical, steps toward American Enlightenment, but that are hushed up, ignored, kept from the mouths of babes,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "archive"","block_context":{"text":"archive","link":"http:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/category\/archive\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":100,"url":"http:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/2006\/07\/14\/green-day-american-idiots-the-new-punk-explosion-book-review\/","url_meta":{"origin":92,"position":2},"title":"Green Day: American Idiots & the New Punk Explosion book review","author":"admin","date":"July 14, 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"Green Day: American Idiots & the New Punk Explosion by Ben Myers (disinformation) Book review by Jason Isbell Punk music. 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