2000 Years of Pandemics: Past, Present, and Future

About the Book

This book analyzes the factors that have sparked pandemics over the past 2000 years, from the Antonine Plague to COVID-19.

It is noteworthy that the frequency of pandemics has increased over the past 2000 years. The authors identify three main drivers for the development of pandemics: transportation, human development, and changes in natural ecosystems. It is important to note that with the advent of the industrial age, the length of time it takes for a pandemic to develop has decreased. COVID-19 is certainly not the last pandemic we will face. Therefore, it is of paramount importance to learn from the past 2000 years to help educate general community and public health officials about pandemic risks and help governments prepare for the next pandemic.

The book is also very useful in low and middle-income countries where, in the last several decades, viruses with potential for pandemics have originated. It's comprehensiveness and didactic stylemake this book a valuable read for government health agencies, private organizations, health care professionals and students.


Table of Contents:
Introduction. Part-1: Pandemic in the past.- First 1000 Years.- Black Death.- Outbreaks in the new World.- Syphilis, Cholera, and Yellow Fever.- Part-2: Pandemics In The Present.- The World Since 1900: Background to Pandemics in the Present.- Influenza Pandemics.- Coronavirus Pandemics.- Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV).- Vaccines.- Zoonoses.-  The Next Pandemic.- The Next Pandemic: Hemorrhagic Fevers.- Part-3:The Next Pandemic: Bioterrorism.- The Next Pandemic: Climate Change.- The Next Pandemic: Antibiotic Resistance.- The Next Pandemic: Challenges and Hopes.

About the Author :
​Claudia Ferreira, MD, PhD, graduated in medicine from the University of Cordoba in Argentina, followed by a fellowship from the Harvard AIDS Institute and the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston, TX, USA. Dr. Ferreira has dedicated the last 25 years of her career to the fields of infectious diseases, tropical diseases and gastroenterology. Dr. Ferreira was also a medical editor of a web portal related to community awareness for bio-terrorism after 9/11. Dr. Ferreira also worked as an investigator for the National Agency for AIDS Research, a branch of the National Center for Research Science, and for several pharmaceutical laboratories in France. She recently started her own company to help international agencies and private organizations manage emerging infectious diseases, pandemic preparedness and - response planning.
Marie-Francoise Doursout, PhD, is a Professor in the Department of Anaesthesiology at the University of Texas MedicalSchool in Houston. Her research focused on animal physiology with special emphasis on the pathophysiology of sepsis and septic shock. She has published peer-review manuscripts, review articles and book chapters in high impact journals. Additionally, Dr. Doursout is active in guiding and mentoring medical students and junior faculty from the Department of Anaesthesiology at the University of Texas Medical School in Houston.

Joselito S. Balingit, MD, graduated in Medicine from the College of Medicine, University of the Philippines. He received his training in Plastic Surgery at the Philippine General Hospital, followed by further training in Microsurgery at the Eastern Virginia Medical School in Norfolk, Virginia, USA. He spent more than a decade in clinical practice as a plastic surgeon, performing both aesthetic and reconstructive procedures. As a medical educator, Dr. Balingit was actively involved in postgraduate medical training in Singapore from 2010 to 2016. In addition to his experience in clinical practice and mentoring, Dr. Balingit has co-authored books on Oriental rhinoplasty and local anesthetic blocks.