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Book Review
Emerging Infectious Diseases:
Trends and Issues
F.R. Lashley and J.D. Durham, editors
Springer Publishing Company, New York, New York, 2002, ISBN: 0-8261-1474-1,
Pages: 483, Price: $58.95
Suggested citation
for this article:
Larson E. Emerging infectious diseases: trends and issues (book review).
Emerg Infect Dis [serial online] 2003 Dec [date cited]. Available
from: URL: http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/EID/vol9no12/03-0558.htm
Preparing a text about emerging and reemerging infections sounds like
a contradiction in terms since by the time a book is published, “new”
infections may have come and gone. But Lashley and Durham have successfully
walked the thin line between being dated on the one hand and providing
timely, relevant data on the other. Several chapters place emerging infections
and related problems such as microbial resistance in historical, cultural,
and environmental context, which is relevant across diseases and time.
The case study approach used for 17 specific diseases (e.g. cholera, cryptosporidiosis,
malaria, prions, drug-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae, West
Nile virus) makes for an excellent vehicle for learning and fascinating
reading. The book has five chapters on special issues—the role of infections
in some cancers and chronic diseases, travel, immunocompromised persons,
bioterrorism, behavioral and cultural aspects of transmission and infection—which
cut across disease categories, as well as a future-looking summary. The
book has four appendices for quick reference: emerging infections by organism
and mode of transmission, prevention strategies, and a thorough list of
resources. This book can serve as a valuable resource for epidemiologists,
graduate students, and clinicians who need an overview reference text.
Elaine Larson*
*Columbia University, New York, New York, USA
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