From the Publisher
An essential survival guide - both to pandemic influenza, and to
the hype surrounding it.
Written by an emergency physician and a public health physician,
The Flu Pandemic and You is a frank and clear book
about how to prepare for the next influenza pandemic, and how to
understand the broader context in which the threat exists.
With cool heads and great professional expertise, the authors
describe the history of influenza pandemics, the scientific reasons
for the current health concern, the effects a pandemic would have,
and the steps governments are likely to take when, not if, it hits.
Drs. Lam and Lee carefully explain how readers can assess their
level of risk, and set out practical advice on how an individual
can prepare for a pandemic and maximize their chances of living
through it. They draw on the latest evidence and their experience
of the SARS outbreak of 2003. The Flu Pandemic and
You develops a lucid framework to help people respond to
the latest news stories about avian flu, and understand the current
media anxiety about influenza in the context of the risks we all
face in our daily lives.
This crucially important book, full of reasoned, knowledgeable
advice, is an indispensable handbook for fearful times.
About the Author
Dr. Vincent Lam is an emergency physician. He has contributed to
The Globe and Mail, National Post and Toronto
Life Magazine. His work also includes expedition medicine on
Arctic and Antarctic ships.
Dr. Colin Lee is a public health physician and an emergency
physician. He serves on a number of infectious disease control
committees at the hospital, community, and provincial levels in
Ontario. His work also extends globally to developing countries.