On Pandemics

Authored by a leading epidemiologist, this engrossing audiobook answers our questions about animal diseases that jump to humans – called 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, Ebola, 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. Listeners will discover:

Coronaviruses, such as those that cause SARS and COVID-19, have 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 reexamine our role in pandemics, if not for our own health, then for the health of our planet.