Virtual Book Launch: On Pandemics
With Dr. David Waltner-Toews
Hosted by CBC's Lucy van Oldenbarneveld
A quiet little gem of understanding in a cacophony of panic and fear.
Join us for a conversation with Dr.David Waltner-Toews, a leading epidemiologist, on animal diseases that jump to humans—zoonoses—including what attracts them to humans, why they have become more common in recent history, and how we can keep them at bay.
Almost all pandemics and epidemics have been caused by diseases that come to us from animals, including SARS, mad cow disease, and—now—Covid-19. Epidemiologist, veterinarian, and ecosystem health specialist, David Waltner-Toews, gathers the latest research to profile dozens of illnesses in On Pandemics. Chapters are broken into short, dynamic explainers, each one tackling a different disease.
• Why zoonotic diseases jump from animals to humans—and why some decide to stick around for good.
• How governments have responded to pandemics and epidemics throughout history, for better or for worse.
• The role of climate change, industrialized farming, cultural practices, biodiversity loss, and globalization in making these diseases not only possible, but inevitable outcomes of our modern lifestyles.
Coronaviruses, such as those that cause SARS and Covid-19, have likely made bats their home for centuries. Until SARS came along, we didn’t know they were there, nor do we know how many other death-dealing viruses might be living undetected in wildlife. On Pandemics shows the greater impact of animal-borne diseases on our world, and encourages us to re-examine our role in pandemics, if not for our own health, then for the health of our planet.
