Description
June 1999-a thirty-three-year-old woman walked into a San Francisco hospital complaining of acute pain in her legs. The day before, she had what she thought was flu: fever, dizziness and abdominal pain. Within two hours of her admission to hospital, she was dead. And unrecognizable. The diagnosis: necrotizing fasciitis, or flesh-eating bacteria.Although one of the most basic life forms on earth, through years of complacency by the drug industry and over- prescription by doctors, bacteria now pose a deadly threat to humankind. The Killers Within describes the full horror of our most primitive but potentially most deadly enemy - and man's attempts to stop it. From the political wrangling to the personal anecdotes of doctors at the frontline, The Killers Within brings vividly to life the story that no one can afford to ignore - the story of a killer that is turning every hospital into a hot zone.'A dramatic account of an already alarming situation poised to grow worse. If a public health crisis of major proportions is to be averted, books such as this one need to be read by consumers as well as the authorities charged to protect their health'Dr David L. Heymann, Executive Director, Communicable Diseases, World Health Organization. ISBN:9780751534818
