Epidemics & plagues / Richard Walker ; foreword by Denise Grady.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Ch. 1 -- Death and disease: First epidemics -- Powerful pathogens -- Person to person -- Defence force -- Disease detectives -- Childhood scourges -- Bad eating -- Famine and blight -- Summary -- Ch. 2 Plagues and pestilence: Black Death -- Medieval sickness -- Great pox -- Vulnerable to attack -- Plague in London -- Summary -- Ch. 3 -- Old and new: White death -- Pandemic cholera -- Public health -- Endemic diseases -- Colds and flu -- Fatal flu -- Beating smallpox -- Germ warfare -- HIV -- Future epidemics -- Summary -- Glossary -- Index -- Acknowledgements.

Plagues have been an ongoing feature of human history, and this addition to the award-winning KFK series places today's heightened interest in global health issues in a larger historical context. Using a mix of science and history, Epidemics & Plagues reveals how certain diseases become worldwide killers, and provides comprehensive answers to readers' most pressing questions. From the Black Death of thirteenth-century Europe, to AIDS, SARS, and avian influenza, Epidemics & Plagues peers through the microscope at the agents that cause the diseases and also uncovers the superstitions and drama surrounding them.