A pioneering epidemiologist describes his work for the Centers for Disease Control, relates his work on its Biosafety Level 4 containment facility, and offers a riveting firsthand look at some of the plagues and biological catastrophes confronting the world today. Tour.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com Review
The hemorrhagic viral diseases, such as Ebola, are among the most elusive and gruesome diseases known to man. Joseph B. McCormick and Susan Fisher-Hoch, a husband-and-wife team formerly of the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta, have spent their lives tracking these pathogens, traversing the globe in heroic efforts to confine them and prevent epidemic. In Level 4, McCormick and Fisher-Hoch recount their most gripping and rewarding experiences, and give insight into the stubborn bravery and driving curiosity that compels them to continually put their own lives at risk for the welfare of humanity.
From Library Journal
Fans of Richard Preston's The Hot Zone (LJ 8/94) and Laurie Garrett's The Coming Plague (LJ 9/15/94) should be eager to read these reminiscences by two researchers from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). McCormick (who is mentioned extensively in both books) and Fisher-Hoch worked together for many years investigating such exotic diseases as Lassa Fever and Ebola in Third World countries as well as at the CDC. They married in 1992 and now train epidemiologists in Karachi, Pakistan. Unfortuntately, the book's tone is uneven. The aim seems to be to provide interesting stories rather than either a coherent history of a disease or a detailed biography of the physicians. Garrett's book offers more information on the history and threat of emerging diseases, while Preston's is better written. Nevertheless, this is fascinating reading, making clear the authors' dedication and almost obsessive determination to find the source, nature, and possible cures for these frightening diseases. For all collections.
-?Marit MacArthur, Auraria Lib., Denver
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.
-?Marit MacArthur, Auraria Lib., Denver
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
26 of 27 people found the following review helpful
Biologic agents, viruses, and the weapons they can be used with, have become common themes for movies and books. The Centers For Disease Control in Atlanta Georgia has also become a frequently mentioned locale as the HIV Virus grew in scope, and with it the public's concern. The accounts of some of these Viruses seemed almost like science fiction, as the descriptions I read often seemed on the edge of hyperbole. This volume by two "virus hunters" is eminently readable by the layperson as it explains the basics about, what a virus is, how they spread, and how horrible the consequences of infection can be.
Dr. Joseph B. McCormick and Dr Susan Fisher-Hoch are as amazing as people as the diseases they pursue. These doctors when in the field often perform tests that would normally only be performed in a Level 4 Laboratory. This is a facility that is isolated, at times in a separate building, includes airlocks, and the researchers wear the pressurized suits movies have portrayed. Level 4 is as high as it goes, or perhaps better stated, Level 4 is where the most lethal, dangerous, and exotic agents are to be worked with. These Doctors however will work with these same agents in a tent or in the open, in the most primitive conditions where the tiniest of errors could mean their death.
As a reference point I went to the Centers For Disease Control website to see where HIV is placed on the 1-4 scale. HIV except for certain circumstances is handled in a Level 2 environment. This put into perspective for me just how incredibly violent and lethal are the agents these people deal with.
The book gives a great deal of background on HIV from the earliest days it was identified. Hemorrhagic fever viruses are discussed in detail, as well as specific discussions of Ebola, Lassa fever, and others.
The entire book is fascinating and at times surprising. These Level 4 killers are not new, their emergence is primarily the result of humans venturing where they have never been, or interacting with the environment in a novel manner. The book eloquently explains that these viruses are not lurking waiting to pounce on the first person that passes by, rather they exist in a biological balance with their natural host, until disturbed.
You will read about accidents when these toxins are handled, why these diseases that are so virulent, so deadly, don't race around the globe. This is an extremely engrossing read, as everyday "man" is pushing the limits of what is manipulated, what structures we may be able to modify, but cannot with certainty handle. And there is always the fear of creating an event over which control is lost with catastrophic events.
Better than any novel this book is true. Those who often were the first to identify and deal with the disease tell the stories, and finally they are scientists, so what you read are facts, not the embellishments of a novelist. These viruses need not modified for fictional movies and books the reality is horrible enough.
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
By emma force
Format:Hardcover
I'm a scientist with some epidemiology experience and fascinated by viruses in general. Having read and loved The Coming Plague (Garrett), I was very interested to read more of the inside story of some of the scientists she'd profiled in her various chapters.
I read the intro and understood that this book was written by two authors, Joe McCormick and Sue Fisher-Hoch, so I wasn't surprised when the book began at a good, interest-sustaining clip, then suddenly changed "voices" to transition from Joe's more flowing, factual but compassionate and very readable voice to Sue's more strident and complaint-ridden narrative. I struggled very hard to like Susan as an author and a person (I'm fascinated by autobiographies by other women in science) but here I completely failed.
While the portions of the story she wrote detailed the science itself in an interesting way, the narrative that described her thoughts, feelings and beliefs became increasingly more offensive. At certain points I was fairly appalled by her lack of sensitivity for the patients and doctors in the cultures in which she was immersed. Continuous complaints, finger-pointing and accusations became very hard to read, especially when followed by her characterization of herself as the only thinking person, the heroine, the single voice of reason in a sea of greed, ignorance and "politics", even within the CDC and most certainly on other continents.
For instance, she characterized poor village doctors operating out of a simple hut who expected payment for injections as "only interested in their bottom line!" Which is fairly insane considering the doctors are as often not paid and certainly struggling for their own existence. She often was "astounded" when doctors did not share her views, when cultures did not meet her expectations -- and equally "astounded" when others expected her to see things from their own view. When at one point an Ebola monkey grabs her hand and she panics in fear for herself, I found myself rooting for the monkey. Sorry.
In contrast, I found Joe McCormick's narrative to be informative and factual, but also compassionate towards his patients and sensitive to the difficulties of the poor and uneducated in the countries in which he worked. Should he find a local doctor to have in his possession only 3 syringes to be used and reused as needed, he understood that this was both dangerous during times of viral outbreak, and also a simple fact of their lives. They don't have Fisher suppliers to order from, a store to purchase sterile needles, or even at times the means to hear that there even IS a viral outbreak in villages distant from their own. He outlined several of the key problems and emphasized that often the locals were stuck between a rock and a hard place, with very few "good" decisions to be made.
Joe McCormick also emphasized and brought to life the incredible amount of teamwork that is necessary in field work. Team work, hard work, luck, experience, quick thinking and at times open-mindedness. He gave copious credit to his co-workers, colleagues and employees who worked hard for him and who came through in big ways when it was most needed. He seemed to have a pragmatic focus. He also mentioned people, situations and organizations who seemed to give no help whatsoever - he certainly wasn't shy about pointing out problems, so the reader was left with a fairly clear view of the struggles faced by the scientist, the hospitals and the people who suffer from these viral plagues.
I agree with the reviewers who were a bit shocked by the amount of bad-mouthing of colleagues that appeared in the book. Again, I found this to happen primarily in the Fisher-Hoch chapters and I was very uncomfortable with the way it was presented, and in some cases skeptical of the accusations after getting to "know" the narrator as much as is possible in the course of her writing.
The highlights of this book were most definitely the inside view of the sheer amount of work it takes to mount a field operation when hunting for an infectious disease, the problems faced, the fear at times, the helplessness of patients and often doctors as well. I appreciated the detailed descriptions of the attempts to get from point A to B in rural Africa, and of the scope of the projects necessary to get to the heart of the contagion. For this reason alone it was fascinating reading.
However I would much more sincerely recommend The Coming Plague for its readable discussion of the sources of the plagues (political, social, often city-planning based) and detailed characterizations of the scientists involved, the mysteries that unfolded and the sheer size of the epidemiological problems faced in this world.
I read the intro and understood that this book was written by two authors, Joe McCormick and Sue Fisher-Hoch, so I wasn't surprised when the book began at a good, interest-sustaining clip, then suddenly changed "voices" to transition from Joe's more flowing, factual but compassionate and very readable voice to Sue's more strident and complaint-ridden narrative. I struggled very hard to like Susan as an author and a person (I'm fascinated by autobiographies by other women in science) but here I completely failed.
While the portions of the story she wrote detailed the science itself in an interesting way, the narrative that described her thoughts, feelings and beliefs became increasingly more offensive. At certain points I was fairly appalled by her lack of sensitivity for the patients and doctors in the cultures in which she was immersed. Continuous complaints, finger-pointing and accusations became very hard to read, especially when followed by her characterization of herself as the only thinking person, the heroine, the single voice of reason in a sea of greed, ignorance and "politics", even within the CDC and most certainly on other continents.
For instance, she characterized poor village doctors operating out of a simple hut who expected payment for injections as "only interested in their bottom line!" Which is fairly insane considering the doctors are as often not paid and certainly struggling for their own existence. She often was "astounded" when doctors did not share her views, when cultures did not meet her expectations -- and equally "astounded" when others expected her to see things from their own view. When at one point an Ebola monkey grabs her hand and she panics in fear for herself, I found myself rooting for the monkey. Sorry.
In contrast, I found Joe McCormick's narrative to be informative and factual, but also compassionate towards his patients and sensitive to the difficulties of the poor and uneducated in the countries in which he worked. Should he find a local doctor to have in his possession only 3 syringes to be used and reused as needed, he understood that this was both dangerous during times of viral outbreak, and also a simple fact of their lives. They don't have Fisher suppliers to order from, a store to purchase sterile needles, or even at times the means to hear that there even IS a viral outbreak in villages distant from their own. He outlined several of the key problems and emphasized that often the locals were stuck between a rock and a hard place, with very few "good" decisions to be made.
Joe McCormick also emphasized and brought to life the incredible amount of teamwork that is necessary in field work. Team work, hard work, luck, experience, quick thinking and at times open-mindedness. He gave copious credit to his co-workers, colleagues and employees who worked hard for him and who came through in big ways when it was most needed. He seemed to have a pragmatic focus. He also mentioned people, situations and organizations who seemed to give no help whatsoever - he certainly wasn't shy about pointing out problems, so the reader was left with a fairly clear view of the struggles faced by the scientist, the hospitals and the people who suffer from these viral plagues.
I agree with the reviewers who were a bit shocked by the amount of bad-mouthing of colleagues that appeared in the book. Again, I found this to happen primarily in the Fisher-Hoch chapters and I was very uncomfortable with the way it was presented, and in some cases skeptical of the accusations after getting to "know" the narrator as much as is possible in the course of her writing.
The highlights of this book were most definitely the inside view of the sheer amount of work it takes to mount a field operation when hunting for an infectious disease, the problems faced, the fear at times, the helplessness of patients and often doctors as well. I appreciated the detailed descriptions of the attempts to get from point A to B in rural Africa, and of the scope of the projects necessary to get to the heart of the contagion. For this reason alone it was fascinating reading.
However I would much more sincerely recommend The Coming Plague for its readable discussion of the sources of the plagues (political, social, often city-planning based) and detailed characterizations of the scientists involved, the mysteries that unfolded and the sheer size of the epidemiological problems faced in this world.
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
By Alexa
Joe McCormick and his wife's real-life account of their scary brushes with death and the cold, harsh reality of the heathcare nightmares in the small villages of Africa is a truly wonderful read. Their skills as both physicians and skilled epidemiologists are very impressive, as well as the way they convey their experiances out in the field. Having been a major fan of Richard Preston's "The Hot Zone" when I began reading about the real-life virus hunters, I have much more of an appreciation for the McCormicks' stories, especially as I began to notice errors in Preston's "factual account" of Ebola. Overall, Virus Hunters is a wonderful read that I highly recommend.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Yikes!
Another book about the CDC which will absolutely send shivers up your spine! Scarier than fiction because fiction, it ain't! Read more
Published 4 months ago by Mark T Du Bois
5.0 out of 5 stars
reads like a story versus a textbook
If you like viruses, this book is interesting and educational about the epidemiology and transmission of very intense and scary viruses around the world.
Published 4 months ago by M. L. Smith
5.0 out of 5 stars
Level 4: Virus Hunters of the CDC
I lost this book in a home fire but I was able to find it here again and bought four copies. One was for myself and I gave the other three as gifts. So much for my review. Read more
Published on April 20, 2011 by M. Sanders
5.0 out of 5 stars
Exciting and True!
This has been one of my favorite books, period, but specifically on the topic of plagues, epidemics and pandemics. Read more
Published on November 6, 2007 by Dorene Kavanagh
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great book for scientists and non-scientists alike
I just finished reading Virus Hunters and I was very impressed. The book is written in a very scientific fashion, but is not overloaded with science at the same time. Read more
Published on July 9, 2004 by Andrew L. Smith
5.0 out of 5 stars
This book is GREAT!!!
The reader becomes a member of the lab team. All the conflicting emotions, compassion vs. self-preservation and the sense of urgency are expressed throughout the book. Read more
Published on July 7, 2004 by Julia Norton
5.0 out of 5 stars
Gripping true stories of life-threatening events
This is an outstanding book. First-hand true-life recollections of a diverse range of natural disasters across Africa over 3 decades. Read more
Published on January 18, 2004 by Keith Appleyard
2.0 out of 5 stars
Interesting stories, but lost in poor writing
When I purchased the book, I was excited by the chance to see these deadly viruses from an insider's perspective. Read more
Published on October 25, 2003
5.0 out of 5 stars
You should read this !
This is one of the most interesting and breathstopping books I ever read . I like to read medical literature , its fun and educational . Read more
Published on August 20, 2003
5.0 out of 5 stars
The African crisis explained
This book provides a very good background explanation of the health crisis in Africa. It's a scientific book in some places, but a lot of that science is mingled with emotion and... Read more
Published on July 21, 2003
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