SARS War [Paperback]

P. C. Leung (Author), E E Ooi (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 15, 2003

In this book, the global SARS outbreak is traced and described, with a focus on the regions where the most infections have been identified. An overview of the whole saga is presented: how the disease spreads; how governments react; how societies and people cope; and how health experts work fervently to identify the virus and search for a cure. In addition, the book contains guidelines on what a person or organisation can do to reduce the risk of contracting the deadly illness. It includes precautionary measures disseminated by the WHO and preventive herbal concoctions recommended by Chinese physicians, presented in an easy-to-read manner. Furthermore, insights of experts are provided. This book is available in English and Chinese, both simplified and traditional.

Editorial Reviews

Review

...this book presents a stirring chronicle. -- The Journal of Clinical Investigation, Nov 2003 --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Publisher

Readership: General public, healthcare workers, doctors and researchers. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 156 pages
• Publisher: World Scientific Pub Co Inc (April 15, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 9812384383
• ISBN-13: 978-9812384386
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 1.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,900,651 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Can be a source of misleading information, May 19, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: SARS War (Paperback)

I agree with the other reviewers that this book is, by now, hopelessly out-dated.

With such rapid progress made in tracing and understanding the illness, it is actually quite irresponsible of the authors and publisher to have published a book on SARS so prematurely. As far as I can see, some of the information here are only correct up to the first week of April 2003. All subsequent developments, which may have disproved earlier hypotheses contained in this book, have been ignored or are otherwise absent.

Unless one can keep up with the latest developments through news reports, this book, instead of being informative, can be a source of misleading information.

Despite the comparatively low retail price, I don't think this book is worth getting at all.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Unsatisfactory coverage, May 30, 2003

By 

J Smith (Hong Kong) - See all my reviews

This review is from: SARS War (Hardcover)

I found this book to be extremely unsatisfactory. The authors have rushed their manuscript to the printer so soon after the start of the epidemic that many salient facts about the virus and the disease could not be included in time for publication. I just can't understand why the authors didn't wait until more facts about the disease have been established before publishing their work if they do intend to provide the public with useful information about SARS.

The coverage of the Sars outbreak in Hong Kong (the place where I live) is also far from satisfactory. Many of the important events have not been mentioned. Some research results have been totally ignored. There is also not much analysis of the initial outbreak at the hospitals. Such sloppy scholarship is unacceptable, even if the book is intended for the mass market.

I can only give this book one star at most.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Out of date and no scientific details, May 15, 2003

By 

Dr. Lee D. Carlson (Baltimore, Maryland USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: SARS War (Hardcover)

This book is short, sometimes repetitive, and already out-of-date, even considering the date of publication (April 2003). For someone who needs a quick non-technical summary of what is online and what has been reported in the international news, this book will suffice, although somewhat marginally. The authors of the various articles discuss various strategies for dealing with SARS, and there is a Q&A section at the end of the book.

There are some omissions in the book, particularly in the area of hard science. For example, the complete genetic sequence of the SARS virus is now available, but this is not mentioned in the book. The sequence has also been BLASTed, but the results of the BLAST search are not discussed in the book either. In addition, there are some groups who have asked whether the SARS virus was the result of genetic engineering, and therefore it would have been informative if the book would have discussed these topics, to alleviate any concerns in this regard. If recombination played a role in the origin of the SARS virus, this would show up in its sequence. An attempt to create the SARS virus via recombination from different viruses would show up in the sequence, parts of which would appear different from a phylogenetic viewpoint. The SARS virus has been classified as a coronavirus, and these types of viruses have been subjected to genetic manipulation in the laboratory in the last fifteen years.

These concerns and others in the molecular biology of SARS are being addressed daily in laboratories all over the world. This book is targeted to non-scientists and non-specialists and so is limited in scope. If updated to reflect these developments, it would be much more useful to those who need to understand the real dangers and limitations of the SARS outbreak.