Seven Modern Plagues

Six Modern Plagues brought public attention to the phenomenon of “ecodemics”— epidemics caused by radical changes humans have made to the environment. This revised and expanded edition includes new science on mad cow disease, HIV/AIDS, Salmonella DT104, Lyme disease, hantavirus, and West Nile virus, plus a new chapter on emerging strains of flu. As engaging as it is alarming, it offers readers the latest research on the origins and future of the scariest plagues of our time.

Walters

SCIENCE | HEALTH

Praise for the first edition

“A fascinating work of ecological journalism, utterly convincing in its argument: that our health and the health of the environment are intimately linked, and we overlook that link at our peril.” —Michael Pollan, author of Second Nature and The Botany of Desire “Refreshingly, this latest book explores the underlying shifts in human ecology and behavior that have potentiated recent epidemics. . . . Walters achieves a balance between environmental science, clinical medicine, human interest, and social comment.” —Nature “Fascinating and readable. . . . [A] great introduction to the topic.” —Library Journal Mark Jerome Walters is a veterinarian, a journalist, and a professor at the University of South Florida St. Petersburg. He is the author of five books, including A Shadow and a Song and Seeking the Sacred Raven. Cover Design: Milan Bozic Cover Art: Virus ©VoodooDot; and Skeleton X-Ray–Vitruvian ©Jeff Cameron Collingwood; courtesy of shutterstock.com

Seven Modern Plagues

“Dr. Walters tells the tale of each disease like a detective story . . . draws compelling, even disturbing, connections between disease and forces as implacable as population growth, deforestation, and modern lifestyles that consume fuel, meat, and acreage at an ever-growing pace.” —The New York Times

“Dr. Walters tells the tale of each disease like a detective story.” —The New York Times

Seven Modern Plagues

and How We Are Causing Them

ISBN 13: 978-1-61091-465-9 ISBN 10: 1-61091-465-1

Mark Jerome Walters