Heard of Ebola? Do the initials SARS ring any bells in your head? What about Hendra or Nipah? If you answered yes to any of these questions you are very likely (a.) better informed about emerging zoonotic infections than the average person, and (b.) very worried about what you know about them.
However when you get deeply into the facts and histories of these – as well as other – animal-originating diseases, as David Quammen has reportedly done in his newly-published book Spillover; Animal Infections and the Next Human Pandemic, while you may very likely find yourself still troubled by the potential threat they pose to the planet’s human population, you will at least have the satisfaction – if Mr. Quammen lives up to his usual high standards of research regarding his subjects – of having your fears more grounded in reality rather than the hyperbole with which so many previously published popular books, motion pictures, and television programs have surrounded them.
