Contagio

For years, for experts and anyone informed, the outbreak of the next pandemic was a matter of time, and its origin evident: a latent virus in animals that made the leap to humans like the HIV that caused AIDS or H1N1 that caused the 1918 flu, Ebola, SARS, the Marburg virus, or the one that produced avian flu. In this internationally referenced work, David Quammen delves into the recent history of these zoonotic diseases, pursuing their trail in the company of the best scientists in the world in the Central African jungle, the caves of southern China or the rooftops of Bangladesh, but also in sophisticated laboratories whose staff investigate deadly viruses under the highest security measures. Although Contagio is read as a thriller, full of incidents, clues and questions, in view of the crisis unleashed by the appearance of SARS-CoV-2, its reading is not only exciting; is a must.