Description

Patient Zero presents riveting true accounts of the brave epidemiologists who put their own safety at risk to uncover the origins of deadly diseases. Updated to include recent developments and now featuring an expanded chapter on Covid-19, this compelling book explores eight significant epidemics and pandemics, chronicling how each began, how they progressed, and the tireless struggle to bring them under control.

Throughout history, epidemics have claimed more lives than wars or natural calamities. Yet, discovering the causes and transmission methods behind these deadly outbreaks often involves immense danger and uncertainty. Epidemiologists have frequently faced skepticism, ridicule, and suppression in their search for “patient zero,” the initial individual infected, whose identification can be crucial in stopping the spread of disease.

This revised and redesigned edition of Patient Zero brings readers up-to-date information and offers vivid accounts of historic illnesses including Spanish Influenza, Ebola, AIDS, as well as a thoroughly updated section dedicated to Covid-19.