"It is difficult to understand a threat whose timing and destructiveness are unpredictable, yet it is by acknowledging these uncertainties that we can make meaningful plans."
n essential survival guide – both to pandemic influenza, and to the hype surrounding it. Written by Vincent Lam, an emergency physician and Colin Lee, 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 pandemic 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.
The Flu Pandemic and You wins Special Recognition Award
The American Medical Writers Association will present the Special Recognition Award at the Association's 67th Annual Conference, which is being held from October 11 to 13, 2007 in Atlanta.
Vincent discusses the Swine Flu on CBC Radio
Vincent discusses the importance of narrative in understanding the course of flu pandemics on CBC Radio.
Resources
Not sure what to do? Check out Dr. Mike Evans' great decision-making tool. (PDF)