Deadly Invaders

Virus Outbreaks Around the World

By: Denise Grady

Narrated by: Susan Bennett

An epidemic strikes the United States, plunging the country into chaos. New York Times medical reporter Denise Grady uses this terrifying scenario, taken from the pages of a U.S. government report on the potential outcome of a pandemic, as the starting point for a journey into the gripping world of emerging diseases.

In search of a better understanding of these often deadly diseases, Grady heads to Angola, the site of the 2005 Marburg virus epidemic, a disease closely related to Ebola. On the ground, and sometimes frighteningly close to victims of the disease, Grady explores the realities of health care in the developing world, and its potential effects on our own welfare. With supplemental sidebars that explain key scientific and social issues and in-depth chapters on the origins and spread of Marburg, avian flu, HIV, SARS, West Nile virus, hantavirus, and monkeypox, this is a fascinating look at the health dangers we face in a global society.

©2006 The New York Times (P)2009 Recorded Books

A good summary

An accessible and thorough overview of contemporary microbial challenges. The narration is smooth, easy to understand.