(c) 2010.
Especially during the later Bush years, I heard a lot about mosquito nets to prevent malaria. It was a simple intervention that provided real action. Now, I’m told many (actually, most) of those mosquito nets aren’t used to protect those that are sleeping. They are used as fish nets or on only adults, not on more vulnerable children.
This little-known fact and more comprises the main storyline in Fever. Written by an Indian-American with personal ties to the disease, this book chronicles the history of an infection which still makes up one of the greatest public/global health challenges humankind has ever faced.
Topics range from pharmacology to scientific rivalries and from DDT to World War II. Extremely deep research and balance are the main means.
Convinced by the end of the book, I share Shah’s concern that little prohibits an antibiotic-resistant version of malaria from rekindling among mosquitoes in Europe or America. If we cannot solve problems on other continents, how will we be able to solve this disease if it comes to our own shores, much like other mosquito-enabled diseases like West Nile Virus? If we cannot limit its scope in Asia and Africa, can we say that we’ve defeated this disease? Or has it defeated us?