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Fatal Jump

Tracking the Origins of Pandemics
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Exploring the fateful chains of events that gave rise to humanity's infectious diseases and pandemics. Why do global pandemics like COVID-19 materialize? To address this question, we must dive into the world of pathogens that transcend their original host species and jump into new ones. Upon attempts to jump into new species, most pathogens fail to initiate infection or spread in the population. Only a few sustain onward chains of transmission, and even fewer sustain these indefinitely. Yet such fatal jumps have been at the origin of many of humanity's most dangerous infectious diseases. In Fatal Jump: Tracking the Origins of Pandemics, Dr. Leslie Reperant analyzes the circumstances that have ignited the surge of new pathogens in humans. From the often-overlooked but crucial point of view of a veterinary disease ecologist, Reperant investigates mysteries such as how African-originated monkeypox left its home continent and shares behind-the-scenes insights into hugely destructive pathogens spread by ticks and mosquitoes. Drawing from the latest science, she discusses whether we can predict these deadly jumps before they happen and what factors--environmental change, population dynamics, and molecular evolution--enable a pathogen to reach full pandemic status. Rich with recent scientific discoveries and emerging theories, this book spans a vast and diverse range of disciplines and weaves their insights into a holistic view of emerging infectious diseases. With new pathogens emerging at an ever-increasing pace, Fatal Jump reorients our perspective on infectious diseases and pandemics from the human-centered standpoint to the bigger picture. Only by recognizing the increasingly global nature of human society, and the connections between our planet's environmental health and our own health, will we understand what actions are necessary to reverse this trend of accelerated pathogen emergence.
Leslie Reperant is a doctor of veterinary medicine and earned a PhD in ecology and evolutionary biology from Princeton University. She has published her research on emerging infectious diseases in leading scientific journals, including The Lancet and Science.
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