The New Killer Diseases

Table of contents

Introduction. SARS, the Newest Killer

This chapter tells the story of the SARS outbreak and draws lessons about the importance of a global public health response and the likelihood of subsequent epidemics.

Chapter 1. The Case of Jeannie Brown

Jeannie Brown was a healthy woman from North Carolina who had the misfortune of contracting invasive group A Streptococcus infection, sometimes known as the flesh-eating bacteria.  She was dead within days.  The story illustrates how mysterious and difficult to deal with infectious diseases can be.

Chapter 2. The Bioterrroism Challenge: Meeting the Threat

This chapter discusses the threat from biological agents, particularly anthrax and smallpox.  It recounts the harrowing story of a postal worker who survived inhalation anthrax. It also discusses what steps are being taken to improve our preparedness against the possibility of such attacks in the future.

Chapter 3. Our Ailing Pathogen Alert System: Germs from Abroad

West Nile virus came from abroad and within three seasons made its way from NYC across most of the United States, infecting thousands along the way.  The chapter highlights the importance of vigilant physicians and a responsive health care system in recognizing new threats.

Chapter 4. Mad Cow and Chronic Wasting Disease: The Strange Horrors of Prions

In the 1990s BSE (Mad Cow Disease) decimated the British beef industry.  Despite government reassurances, dozens of Britons and other consumers of British beef were infected by this bizarre disease, leading to their brains being destroyed by vCJD.  The culprit is generally thought to be a prion rather than a traditional infectious agent.  CWD is a prion disease that is spreading rapidly among deer and elk in this country and Canada.  Will it, too, someday infect humans?

Chapter 5. E. Coli Gone Bad: Runaway Bacterial Evolution

This chapter warns that not all threats are exotic or rare.  Tens of thousands of Americans are sickened each year by E. coli O157, a variant of a harmless organism that normally lives in our gut.  What makes this variant so dangerous and why hasn't the USDA done more to protect us from food borne illnesses?

Chapter 6. Bacterial Resistance: The Dangers of Antibiotics and Hospitals

Bacteria including the very common bacteria staphylococcus aureus are becoming increasingly resistant to many of our antibiotics and there are few drugs in the pipeline to protect us if this trend continues.  Learn what you can do to slow the development of drug resistant strains.

Chapter 7. The Next Flu Pandemic: Rapidly Mutating Viruses

Although most of us regard flu as an annoyance, the public health community is very concerned about the potential for a flu epidemic that might kill millions.  Find out why.

Chapter 8. TB Again: The Fight-Then-Forget Cycle

Tuberculosis is one of the most successful bacteria worldwide and drug resistant TB makes treatment all the more difficult.  This is one disease we can generally cure but the process is labor intensive and requires a continuing commitment as illustrated by the Massachusetts model.

Chapter 9. Ticking Time Bombs: Chronic Diseases Combining Forces

Hepatitis C virus, HIV, and herpes viruses are examples of organisms that generally cause life long infection. These organisms have figured out how to evade our natural defenses and make us their home.

Chapter 10. What We Must Do.

This chapter speculates on some worst-case scenarios for our future and suggests some strategies to keep them from becoming a reality