Dr. Philip Tierno, who serves on our council, wrote a pandemic-prevention book for laypersons in 2020. See excerpts below:

“It is important to recognize that in a global economy of mass migration and frequent travel, there is no such thing as an isolated population group, and there is certainly no guarantee that a disease outbreak in that population won’t go global in a couple of days.”

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“From a public health perspective, the world’s population is one big family. An outbreak in China concerns people in London, L.A., and New York City. Our past history indicates it is easy to predict that infectious diseases, both old and new, will continue to emerge and challenge the world’s established medical and scientific infrastructures.”

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“To meet that challenge we must educate all countries and their people about ways to prevent infection. Doing so would do more to enhance health, at a lower cost, than would any form of treatment.”

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“[This] requires all of us (scientific and medical personnel as well as the public) to understand the dynamics at play so that we all follow the known basic protocols for fighting an infection, or for that matter, a pandemic.”

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That is why he advises and titles his book: First, Wear a Mask — A Doctor’s Guide to Reducing Risk of Infection During the Pandemic and Beyond.

It’s published by Rodale Press, and it’s a quick, informative read.

We welcome input on this post.