How To Survive a Pandemic: Our Book Review
As we slowly begin to near what seems like the end of our current global crisis, many of us must be wondering — “What’s next?” What measures do we need to take in order to ensure something like this does not happen again?
Unfortunately, according to global health authorities, it will happen again. The next pandemic is right around the corner (overdue, even). It’s name? Bird Flu, or H5N1. And not only is it expected to mutate and increase its ability to spread from human to human, it has a 50% mortality rate! That’s around 100x more lethal than our current pandemic; the one that’s shut down the entire globe and has hospitals overcrowded and understaffed.
Although there’s not much we can do to stop this from occurring, there is so much we can learn from this experience — mainly that animal agriculture is the true virus, and that limiting our contact with animals is the only effective vaccine!
Book Summary
Dr. Michael Greger’s brilliant analysis of the relationship between intensive animal agriculture and zoonotic disease (complete with 3,612 reputable sources) explains exactly why there have been so many emerging diseases in recent years. In fact, over the past few decades, a new disease has appeared almost every year! It was only a matter of time before one of them triggered a pandemic.
Not only does the intensive nature of Tyson-style commercial factory farming lead to the rapid spread of viruses and bacteria, other factors like the irresponsible usage of antibiotics, absurd ingredients in animal feed, and transportation are all massive health hazards.
Do We Recommend This Book?
Although we were enraptured from start to finish, “How To Survive a Pandemic” provokes feelings of sadness, anger, frustration, amusement (Dr. Greger is a gifted writer), and ultimately, helplessness. In a non-vegan world, it’s difficult to envision a future in which zoonotic diseases have been eradicated. However, perhaps if more people were to open this book and make the connection, millions of people (and animals) could be saved! We highly recommend you pick it up, and recommend it to all your friends. Get it here!
Interested In Going Vegan?
Veganism is proving to be one of the most important movements in history, and it’s time to start making a real global change! If you or someone you know is interested in switching from meat to plants, make sure to check out our complete vegan transition guide — “Go Vegan The Right Way”. We wish you the best of luck on your vegan journey!