Book Summary
The Viral Storm by Nathan Wolfe begins by giving the readers background information on what a virus is and where it got its name. He goes into detail and describes the similarities between the human race and apes. Wolfe says that by studying their viruses, we can learn more about ourselves. He mentions the Simian Immune Virus (SIV) and explains how it is related to HIV. According to Wolfe, when humans began cooking, that is when we truly became humans. The process of cooking kills microbes and unfolds proteins that allow for easier digestion. He then builds on the idea of hunting animals and connects it to domestication. Domestication had a very large impact on humans in regards to microbes. In addition, he described how viruses can be transmitted between species. This was a very large breaking point in the study of viruses.
(1) Dr. Nathan Wolfe - Wall Street Journal
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A pandemic is quite literally, something that affects all people. Wolfe then goes into detail of various different kinds of viruses: HIV, TTV, GB, HPV, Smallpox, etc. Wolfe then explains how new forms of transportation and frequent plane travel has significantly increased the spread of microbes as well as how it has made the world one earth with everything interconnected. Transplantation between species is very beneficial but it also takes down the microbes’ “Barrier to Entry” which suggests that it is easier for microbes to get into the person’s system. Blood transfusions can also spread microbes and have greatly increased transmission since they have been around. This sharing of organs and blood between individuals has really made humans the world’s first intimate species. This connectivity fundamentally changes our connection to the microbial world.
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Bioterror and Bioerror are increasingly becoming serious in our society today. An outbreak of smallpox, for example, would be devastating on our population. High density population areas are at a greater risk of spreading microbes if one of these disasters were to occur. There are multiple factors that play into a pandemic threat. However, the bad microbes are significantly in the minority in our bodies when compared to the good ones. The end goal in our population would be to control and prevent pandemics before they reach the mass population. The possibility of predicting viruses is very real, according to Wolfe. Eventually, due to advanced technology and knowledge, the human race might experience our last plague.