AIDS and Other Epidemics

Each year, millions of people die from diseases such as AIDS and malaria. This book looks at the causes of major infectious diseases, how they spread, and how they can be treated. It also discusses different steps that governments and health organizations can take to handle and prevent epidemics and pandemics.

Children's Literature

AIDS is not the first global epidemic, and it will not be the last. One thing that sets AIDS and HIV apart is the rapid spread of the disease and the length of time between contracting HIV and the development of the virus into AIDS. Ballard does not focus exclusively on AIDS, and he also catalogs some of the major viruses that have caused concern or nearly erupted into a pandemic over the past century, including the great Influenza pandemic of 1918—1919. Influenza continues to be of great concern to health care officials all over the world, and outbreaks of flu are carefully tracked each year. Each chapter covers a particular virus or disease, including various forms of the disease, how the disease is transmitted, and possible dangers if a pandemic were to occur. Each chapter begins with a scenario set in 2025 that outlines what could happen if an outbreak were to occur and ends with a scenario that places the reader in a position to make a major decision regarding the virus discussed. Full color illustrations, diagrams, and charts of the diseases, as well as images of the magnified virus or disease are included throughout the text, which is part of the "What if We Do Nothing?" series. Reviewer: Danielle Williams