Product Description
"Marc Siegel is an articulate voice of reason in a world beset by hype and hysteria. We would be well advised to listen closely to what he has to say." -Jerome Groopman, M.D., staff writer, the New Yorker "Siegel cuts through the hype about the 'deadly' this and the 'lethal' that, and applies reason in seeking the answers." -John M. Barry, author of The Great Influenza: The Epic Story of the Deadliest Plague in History "Timely and needed. At such times, we need soothsayers and explicators to redirect the ready-fire-aim mindset. Siegel's book fulfills this role well." -The Journal of the American Medical Association As bird flu sweeps through Asia, the rest of the world has begun to worry that it might spread west and start infecting humans. As many experts have pointed out, an influenza pandemic is only a matter of time and that time could be now. Or is it? In Bird Flu, Dr. Marc Siegel cuts through the hype, the facts, the fears, and the realities to explain what has the experts so worried and why there's still plenty of reason to be calm. Among the questions he answers are: * What is bird flu, and who has it? * What can I do to protect my family? * Should I stockpile Tamiflu? * Will this be like the deadly Spanish flu of 1918? * Why is there no bird flu vaccine? * Will the annual flu shot protect me? In his sensible and entertaining style, Siegel looks at the advances we've made in treatments, the research still to be done, and the challenges ahead for Asia to lay out a realistic plan for ending this global threat. While a bird flu outbreak in the United States may or may not happen this year, there's still a great deal of work to be done in readying America for outbreaks of any kind.

CUSTOMER REVIEWS (Average Customer Rating: 4.5 based on 26 reviews)

Don't bother! by Hawkeye Wife

1 Stars
November 07, 2007
Don't bother with this book unless you enjoy being talked down to by a condescending physician. He treats the readers as if they are imbeciles. The quality of the writing and research is abominable, and it is obvious that the author is just trying to make a buck off book sales. If you want the facts about avian influenza, don't read this. You won't find any facts or advice here.

Finally A Balanced View by Francis V. Adams, M.D. (New York, N.Y.)

5 Stars
August 09, 2006
Dr. Marc Siegel's book delivers what has been sorely missing in the discussion of bird flu--a balanced, reasonable, and objective view of this possible threat to our health. Dr. Siegel carefully explains that calls for alarm are not appropriate based on current scientific knowledge and only serve to raise the fear level. At the same time he outlines steps such as upgrading vaccine manufacture and government responsiveness in case a real threat materializes. His basic advice which is to eat smart, exercise, and reduce anxiety, will likely help all of us to live longer. This highly readable and informative book is really "everything you need to know" about this subject.

Good Insights! by Loyd E. Eskildson (Phoenix, AZ.)

4 Stars
August 07, 2006
Siegel believes that it is not likely that the bird flu will mutate to human form, and that even if it does, it will be less lethal than currently. In addition, generally unreported evidence from Hong Kong (about 16% of those tested had antibodies to the H5N1 virus) indicates it is less virulent than believed. Siegel also suggests looking at the downward trend in U.S. flu pandemic deaths - about 500,000 in the 1918 Spanish Flu, 70,000 in the 1957 Asian Flu pandemic, and 34,000 during the 1968 Hong Kong Flu. He attributes this to improved sanitation and the use of pneumonia vaccines (pneumonia causing about half the deaths attributed to flu). Finally, he also points out that cooking poultry kills 100% of the flu virus. The greatest problem with the avian flu, according to Siegel, is our tendency to panic and over-react. He does not recommend that citizens stockpile Tamiflu because it is expensive, only has about a three-year shelf life, and most citizens would probably waste it because they wouldn't know when to properly use it. Siegel's "Bottom-Line:" We should be focusing more on the pandemic we already have - AIDS/HIV.

A sensible look into the hype, the facts, and the fears of Bird Flu by C. Santisteban (New York, NY)

5 Stars
July 27, 2006
The spread of a lethal strain of bird flu in the past two years has sparked fears of a new pandemic. In Bird Flu, Dr. Marc Siegel looks through the facts, the fears, and the realities to explain what has the experts so worried and why there's still plenty of reason to be calm. Regardless of whether a bird flu outbreak will occur this year in the United States, there's still plenty of work to be done in preparing America for outbreaks of any kind.

A rational approach by Robert DePorto (New York)

5 Stars
July 23, 2006
Superb. Dr. Marc Siegel's book "Bird Flu" portrays a concise, realistic and informative outlook on a media bred epidemic: fear and anxiety. Certainly an epidemic from bird flu is possible, I know of no one who disagrees. One, however, needs not confuse the terms possibility with probability. The irrational belief that the bird flu virus has a greater chance of mutating to humans in opposition to the thousands of other viruses currently in existence is unfounded. Certainly we should not remain naïve of such possibilities but we also need to take into consideration the probability of an epidemic from one particular virus that has yet to master the chain of specific mutations it would need in order to become pandemic. Even if this virus mutated to infect humans on a large scale, who is to say that its virility and potential deadly effects would also not alter and wither. If we resort to stockpiling antidotes to this one particular virus, must we then stockpile antidotes for every other potential viral metamorphosis? It is not only impossible to achieve, it is also illogical to think that we should. More research to develop means of developing appropriate vaccines quickly as well as global containment preparedness would be better served. To Dr. Siegel I say "BRAVO" and I hope that you continue educating your readers with such rational approaches.

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