How to Survive a Pandemic by Michael Greger

How to Survive a Pandemic Reviews

• 
  Dr. Appu Sasidharan (Dasfill)

  
  
  

  (Throwback Review) "Pandemic is not a word to use lightly or carelessly. It is a word that, if misused, can cause unreasonable fear or unjustified acceptance that the fight is over, leading to unnecessary suffering and death."

  
  
  Dr. Greger has tried to mention every aspect of the current COVID - 19 pandemic (many of which we have not even heard about). He also discusses SARS and other earlier pandemics.
  
  Is the worst Pandemic yet to come?
  Do you think that you just saw the worst you can see in your life during the current Pandemic? Dr. Michaael Greger warns us that a bigger pandemic than the current one is about to happen soon if we are not too careful with our health and preventive measures. With COVID - 19, the toilet paper supply had been Wiped out, but the food supply was not fully affected in many countries. In a more severe pandemic expected to happen in the future, not only will be the grocery stores be empty, but we might also lose water, power, and phone services. World economic forum stimulation suggests that the internet will shut down within 2-4 days. Many world cities like Chicago won't have chlorine for 5-7 days to purify the water supply. The crumbling of the critical infrastructure will be due to rampant absenteeism. Billions will fall sick, and billions more will be afraid to go to work. This will lead to a total economic collapse. We can prevent all these if we give a little more importance to health and preventive measures.
  
  WHO vs CDC
  The WHO and CDC have conflicting guidelines regarding what health care workers should wear during the routine care of patients during the COVID - 19. Along with its European counterparts, the CDC recommends respirators, whereas WHO suggests that surgical masks are sufficient. The WHOs reluctance to endorse N95 may be due to the sensitivity because of the global scarcity of N95. The underlying dynamics of COVID - 19 remain unknown. So it is impossible to say which recommendation is right.
  
  Social scapegoating
  According to John M. Barry (author of the Great Influenza),
  

  "The 1918 pandemic did not, in general, follow any pattern of race and class antagonism. In epidemiological terms, there was a correlation between population density and hence class and deaths. But the disease struck down everywhere and everyone almost similarly."

  
  
  Dr. Michael Greger, in this book, has something different to say regarding the same topic. According to Dr. Greger, the 1918 pandemic was fodder for racists and antisemites. In Baltimore, under Jim Crowe segregation, the hospitals were closed to African Americans at their moment of the greatest need. Once the Pandemic passed, the Baltimore officials then defended these cities' poor public health performance by attributing the cities elevated mortality rate to its proportion of black residents. The Poles blamed the Jews, who they told are a particular enemy to order and cleanliness. As reviewed in the New England Journal of Medicine, this was sadly neither the first nor the last of the social scapegoating that is one of the most common and ugly conductive features of the epidemics in human society. Victims of infectious diseases are blamed and shunned to this day. In the SARS epidemics, Chinese descendants were denied access to the middle school in New Jersey. Some of the company employees who fell prey to the first anthrax case were doubly victimized. Family Physicians refused to see them, and their kids were turned away from schools.
  
  Did COVID - 19 save more lives than it killed?
  Are you Surprised reading this? Well, It's true, even though it happened only in very few countries around the world. Dr. Greger is explaining this aspect of the virus too in this book. Lockdowns worldwide, enforced to slow the spread of COVID-19, have also visibly reduced air pollution. How many lives have been saved as a result of reduced pollution? A new study has quantified that: An estimated 12,125 deaths were prevented during the countrywide ban on traffic mobility between February 10 and March 14 in one country. The study found that this is higher than the lives lost to the Pandemic — 4,633 as of May 4 in the same country. The paper was published in 'Lancet Planetary Health'. This way of having clean air through massive quarantine and travel restrictions is not sustainable and likely to be only temporary for a short period of time. In my opinion, this study has got mere academic significance now compared to the time this book was released as a large number of people died due to COVID-19 after that.
  
  Rating
  5/5 This book is overloaded with information (probably more than that which some of you can currently digest). In my opinion, we all must read this book and implement the preventive measures Dr. Greger has discussed to survive this Pandemic and prevent the severe Pandemic that might happen in the future. I can indubitably say to everyone that this is a must-read book. Thank you so much, Dr. Greger, for doing extensive research and releasing your book amid this Pandemic and giving us one of the best books about COVID -19.
  
  There is no better way to finish this review than using the amazing pearls of wisdom shared by Olawale Daniel.
  

  "COVID-19 offers us a great opportunity for individual and collective recession. It is time to go back to the drawing board and rewrite the next phase of our existence. The upcoming generation has to read about how we fought this Pandemic with or without vaccines in order to overcome similar situations during their times."
• 
  Jeanette (Ms. Feisty)

  
  Dr. Michael Greger is best known for his nutritional expertise, but he studied infectious diseases for many years before focusing on food.
  If you want clarification about all of the information and misinformation swirling around about the covid pandemic, I highly recommend this recent podcast he did with Rich Roll.
  
  
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97Hia...
  
  It's quite long, but it's the best I've seen for demystifying masks, social distancing, vaccines, and the origins of pandemics.
• 
  Leah

  Very interesting book. It's not just about how to survive a pandemic it's more about general knowledge of pandemics.
  
  Ebola, influenza, H1N1, SARS, etc.
  
  Because of globalization - viruses are able to spread very easily and quickly and they are getting smarter with hiding their symptoms so that they can spread.
  
  This book had a lot to do with poultry farming being a huge issue. The way the birds are handled and tossed, murdered, the male chicks thrown out, the females being pumped so big they can't even stand on their own two feet, how squished in space they are, no room to live, the stress of it all, and then we eat that. This book really made me want to refrain from eating animals since we get the majority of or sicknesses from them included food poisoning.
  
  I felt it was very repetitive at times and made me a zone out on multiple parts but as a whole it was very good.
  
  Makes me scared because the worst is yet to come...
• 
  Rebe

  How to Survive a Pandemic is the second book I've read by Michael Greger. He seems to research everything thoroughly (literally half this book is just references), writes about scary subjects without inducing panic, and makes complicated science easy to understand.
  
  I assumed this book in particular was going to be about practical tips for surviving a pandemic. And given this is the author of How Not to Die, I figured some of it would be specifically about dietary things you can do to boost your immune system.
  
  There was some of that in there, but to my surprise, the vast majority of the book is about the things humans do that create dangerous conditions for virus mutation: the dangers of bushmeat, deforestation, the wild pet trade, and especially factory farming. As a vegan, I've done my fair share of research on factory farming, but I had never looked at it from Greger's angle, namely that factory farming is bad for human health. Factory farm practices like massive antibiotic use and super-crowded, stressful conditions make your average industrial-scale chicken farm a giant lab for antibiotic-resistant bugs and dangerous zoonotic viruses like COVID-19, SARS, & H5N1. Greger argues persuasively that these chicken farms make it much more likely that we will see more viruses emerging with pandemic potential.
  
  Although this is interesting at first, Greger is obviously very into the topic and needed an editor to rein him in. The factory farming stuff gets so repetitive and detailed that even those interested in the topic might feel tempted to skip ahead. On top of that, there's nothing the average reader can do about the problems Greger presents. It's good to be educated on these issues, but that's not why I picked up this book and probably not why you picked it up, either.
  
  If you're hoping to get Greger's take on national and international preparedness for pandemics as well as what the individual can do to prepare and to help at a community level, that starts in Part III and was the most immediately relevant section of the book. Greger presents some really interesting history about the 1918 pandemic and critiques modern-day responses to pandemics and close calls. He provides advice like how to make your own hand sanitizer and what supplies to keep stocked in your house. At the end we even get a post-apocalyptic description of what the world might be like if we ever came down with a Category 5 pandemic (COVID is a Category 2-3). I'd recommend skimming the chicken farming stuff once you feel it start to get repetitive, then reading the book starting at around 37%/Part III.
• 
  Nigeyb

  I’m a big fan of Dr.
  Michael Greger and his nutritionfacts.org website, and have learned many useful insights from him. Dr
  Michael Greger is one of a coterie of experts who do not receive funding from industry bodies and who highlight scientific studies which identify how to achieve and maintain a long and healthy life.
  
  A previous book
  How Not to Die: Discover the Foods Scientifically Proven to Prevent and Reverse Disease is one I've owned for years and still refer to regularly, and I also recently read and appreciated
  How Not to Diet: The Groundbreaking Science of Healthy, Permanent Weight Loss.
  
  Although Dr
  Michael Greger is best known for his nutritional expertise, it transpires that he also studied infectious diseases for many years and this knowledge is brought to bear on Pandemics and the current global Covid-19 pandemic.
  
  
  How to Survive a Pandemic is an exhaustive and frankly terrifying read: HIV, Cholera, Typhus, Measles, MERS, SARS, Covid-19, other coronaviruses, and more. You might not be surprised to learn that most viruses and pathogens have been a consequence of farming and other similar ways that humanity has changed the environment. Needless to say industrial scale meat and dairy production, and Chinese type wet markets dealing in live animals, are amongst the biggest culprits. It’s enough to make anyone weep.
  
  Covid-19 should be a fundamental wake up call because, for all the death and misery it is causing, if we don’t make some profound changes to food production and our stewardship of the environment there will be far more deadly and virulent viral strains coming down the line. There have been some lucky escapes in recent decades. The largest and oldest association of public health professionals in the world, the American Public Health Association, has called for a moratorium on factory farming for nearly two decades.
  
  To combat Covid-19 I was expecting a reiteration of Dr. Greger’s usual remedy of a diet rich in wholefood and which includes fruit, vegetables, legumes, nuts, seeds etc and low in meat, dairy and processed foods. However, some viruses actually turn our immune system in on its self, so an optimally functioning immune system might be counter productive. Enhancing specific aspects of your immune system could actually make things even worse. How terrifying is that?
  
  
  How to Survive a Pandemic is an exhaustive (and sometimes exhausting) look at the history of pandemics, Covid-19, what we need to do to avoid worse outbreaks in the future, and what to do should the worst happen. Changing the way humans treat animals, ideally ceasing to eat them, or at the very least, radically limiting the amount that are eaten would drastically reduce the chances of future pandemics. Continuing to farm animals intensively will increase the likelihood. It’s an essential read, and a call to arms.
  
  5/5
  
  
• 
  Nina

  This is a massive book. But half of it is citing references. So how to survive? Don’t get it in the first place. Gee thanks. He says you could self isolate, but then points out how missionaries on Alaska isolated during the 1918 pandemic only to have an infected mailman come and spread the disease that kill off almost everyone.
  
  Even if you get Covid he talks about a couple and how the cancer patient wife was able to avoid the worst of Covid, but her husband who was in good health did not. So it’s all a crap shoot.
  
  The author also says we have more to worry about with bird flu type diseases than anything else. And the next pandemic can be so much worse than Covid. Wut? And I thought I was so much superior for eating chicken over other meats. But apparently the factory farming of poultry is just a ticking time bomb for humans. He really nailed his point over that, that I was like “okay, already! No chicken!” So we really need to as a society see the value in reducing our meat intake... by at least half in order to save millions of lives. Not a fun or hopeful book.
  
  So my plan for surviving Covid is basically the same as before I read the book. Isolate in my bedroom with Gatorade.
• 
  Allysia K

  6/5 stars.
• 
  Kimberly Sabatini

  I'm a big Dr. Greger fan and he didn't disappoint--but that doesn't mean I'm not disappointed after turning the last page of this book. My gut reaction is that we're F*ck$%! After a year of dealing with COVID19, it's an ugly thought.
  
  The reality is, we've participated and regularly enabled zoonotic diseases to flourish and while we like to point fingers at the wet markets in other countries--we willingly engage in the disgusting practice of disease-ridden factory farming. The saying is... "you are what you eat" which makes us more disturbing than I want to acknowledge. And while buying locally sourced, grass feed, free-range, antibiotic-free, loved animals is a good thing to do--a better thing to do--it won't save us from the consequences of turning a blind eye to what is still in our "backyard". It exists and it will affect us. I'm a vegetarian and it won't matter what I eat when the avian flu attacks my respiratory system. There are too many of us who turn a blind eye--too many people who are UNWILLING to reverse the trajectory we are on. And while I don't realistically see the end of people eating meat, we could stop the horrific practices we regularly turn a blind eye to--to at least reduce the rapid rise of these mutations. We can choose to raise more humane and healthier--more disease-resistant animals--if we want to.
  
  But we have a track record of being reactive instead of proactive. And I suspect, from watching how people have reacted to a year of living with COVID19, how we will react going forward. It will likely take something worse for people to look at things differently.
  
  But being aware of who we are and the patterns of our behavior doesn't negate the useful information this book offers or the sliver of hope that still rises within me that the younger generation will rise to their own occasion. And in order to do that, they have to look at what is in front of them. They have to know what has been done to them and understand what it takes to course correct. So, pull up your big boy boxers, read the book and remember...you are what you eat, but you are also the culmination of all your choices and it is never too late to choose better.
• 
  Michaela Conley

  I'm like so many, a HUGE fan of Dr. Michael Greger. I do have to say though, the title of this book would have been better named something more like "OMG, how we got ourselves into this position that made a global pandemic even possible AND what we might be able to do about if we could collectively raise up and choose a more sustainable way forward. That would likely be too long for a book cover. This book lays out in detail all the moving parts that go into our carnivorous global food systems, describing how factory farming practices and so horrendous, unsustainable, inhumane and catastrophic for our existence on earth. I know, heavy topic and I'm not just speaking of the size of the book. Although, if you flip through you'll discover that the last hundred or so pages are all footnotes. You may not agree with his politics but you can't fault the man for his researching skills... impressive to say the least. Bottom Line HIGHLY recommend everyone read and consider. No matter your dietary choice, information is power.
• 
  Pradeep

  I always thought it would be climate change that will obliterate us. But I didn’t realize how serious is the threat of pandemic until I read this. Greger thinks H7N9 could be the next deadly pandemic upon us. Noting it down to come back and check in few years.
  
  At this time I finished this case, Russia reported the first human H5N8 avian flu case. We are in a zoonotic pandemic now but no one even wants to consider leaving animals from the plate.
  
  It reminds me of this quote -
  
  When you're born you get a ticket to the freak show. When you're born in America, you get a front-row seat.
  
  George Carlin
• 
  Kelli V Spann

  I originally obtained this book in the audio version via Overdrive from the public library. In the course of reading, it became clear that the book would require closer scrutiny. I then obtained a hard copy for myself through Amazon. I finished the audio version and will soon read the hard copy. The material is relevant to the times we are living in and it cannot be stressed enough how important it is that we educate ourselves to, not only how to guard against these viruses, but to how we got here to begin with.
  
  I read Dr. Gregers book “How Not to Die” and have been quite impressed by the matter of fact way he presents the somewhat complicated concepts and breaks them down so that not only can we understand, but actually have the tools in hand to change our lives for the better.
  .
  I cannot emphasize enough how important it is that we arm ourselves with this information. These viruses are not going anywhere. We cannot just sit around and wait to be saved by our governments. We need to dig deep and try and help call attention to
  the institutions that are allowed to contribute to the problem to begin with. A bigger badder super bug is just around the corner if we do nothing now. Maybe even if we do. The Genie may not go back into the bottle. But we have to try.
  
  We need to educate ourselves in order to make real changes that can root out the why and how to change the course we are on. If we are not part of the solution, then we are part of the problem. Do yourself a favor, read and arm yourselves with the information you need to be a better educated member of this society, living through the current crises, and the ones surely to come.
• 
  Michael

  WARNING: Do read while eating chicken. Maybe celebrate your last piece of bird before starting the book - if you're into that.
  
  I highly recommend the audiobook read by Michael Greger himself in his unique somewhat cynical pronounciation.
  
  The first third broadly covers the science of previous virus outbreaks and how it's interlinked with industrial meat production. I found this the most interesting part with lots of details previously unkown to me. I didn't expect this kind of information, but it's much more solid stable than the ongoing resarch into the it's latest COVID-19 flavour. While it's rarely mentioned you can see an unwritten "eat plants not chicken" between the lines. (4 stars)
  
  The second third covers all things COVID-19 - all of which have been told in various degrees of detail in the media, podcasts etc. (3 stars)
  
  The last third felt like arbitrary ramblings about catastrophy scenarios where critical infrastructure is disturbed or halted. I didn't like this part, it's probably covered in other books also. (2 stars)
• 
  Kassi Attitude

  Not really much info on ssurvving
  
  I feel this book needs to be retitled. It's more like "How to Cause a Pandemic". 50% of the book are the cited references, so be wary of questioning the data. I really think everyone should read the first chapter as it lays out the behavior of viruses in an easy to understand way. This is invaluable and worth the price of the book alone. Do not read expecting any information about covid, this is all bird flu all day.
• 
  Tim

  3.5 stars: Some great content and inspiring thoughts in there: especially on the fact that the current Covid-19 is way less serious than a human H5N1 outbreak would be and how mass chicken production is a big issue in that regard.
  
  That being said, the content is not presented in a concise enough manner for my taste. Too many repetitions of the same and same arguments again and again,
  
  I would give it 4.5 stars if the book was half the length. As a result and in combination with the author’s imho not very audiobook-friendly voice, it’s not a very pleasant audiobook to listen to.
• 
  Elisabeth

  Great overview of the history of pandemics and the main causes in history - mutation from different animal viruses. Gives advice on how to improve your chances, but most of all how they could be avoided in the future with altered way of growing animals in close quarters.
• 
  Dan Cumberland

  This book has changed the way I think about what we're living through with Covid-19. Earthquakes often have foreshocks — smaller tremors that happen before the big ones. This pandemic is a foreshock to the next one, which will be bigger and worse unless we make some major changes. If you're interested in understanding the man-made factors that contribute to the creation of a virus, and how to go about avoiding or at least preparing for the next one, this book it a really important read.
• 
  Keith

  This book covers COVID-19, but most of the book talks about a much greater threat from H5N1 causing a much more lethal pandemic than the one we are now in (in the year 2020). That threat comes from intensive factory “farming” of poultry with thousands of birds cooped up in cramped quarters. Wild birds are the carriers of a form that is not optimized to infect humans. Chickens are the intermediary where the virus mutates into forms that can infect humans. Intensive pig farming is also a virus breeding ground.
  
  As usual, Dr. Michael Greger intensively documents his findings, with the last 40% of the book containing 3612 references.
  
  The kindle version is very reasonably priced, or you can check it out from your library.
• 
  Cynthia

  I found this book intriguing and frightening. Dr. Greger explains the origins of viruses such our current coronavirus, and using 3,614 references should anyone want to question his conscientious research and/or veracity, or do independent reading.
  
  This article just appeared on the Guardian today:
  https://www.facebook.com/143936492632...
  
  You can also find a wealth of interviews with Dr. Greger and information on his website at nutritionfacts.org
  
  And read this book. All proceeds from his books go yo charity.
  
  What can you do? Switch from eating meat to a plant-based/whole-food diet.
• 
  Trace Nichols

  Wow is this timely... particularly because the author wrote this book amidst a global pandemic. Chock FULL of information, this read is truly educational. It covers not on the history of viruses, pathogens, origins, et al. ... it also delves deep into preventative measures, vaccines, the agricultural industry and its part in virus creation and transmission, general animal advocacy, government response, and what is to come. Smart and scary all at once, but better to be informed than hiding under a rock.
• 
  Ericka Clou

  There was interesting information and analysis here even with all the reading I’ve been doing on this topic. However, it needed more editing, as it was repetitive, seemed to go back and forth to the same topics, and it was definitely too long as a result.
• 
  Johanna

  The science in this is astounding, I found the insight into viruses and their evolution fascinating. Dr Greger’s depth of research never ceases to amaze me. Absolutely insightful read - it really is eye opening to know what humans’ desires and actions have created in respect to viruses and diseases.
  
  But I’ll tell you what, I am going to be more prepared for the next pandemic (news flash: the science is clear there will be one and it won’t be as “mild” as this one).
  
  Highly recommended read! Added note, this is a not-for-profit book.
• 
  Marilee

  I picked this one up expecting a lot of advice on maintaining a healthy body pre pandemic and safety tips during a pandemic, but it read more like a history of pandemics and compared them somewhat to covid-19. I like Dr. Greger's enthusiasm and his quest for knowledge, but I felt that his other books were more helpful for me.
• 
  Seasy Huang

  fuckkkkkkkkkkkkkk
• 
  Ben Rogers

  Great read!
  
  Will definitely take this book to heart!
  I wish more people would!
  
  Lots of details for avoiding future pandemics too!
  
  Very well researched
  
  4.3/5
• 
  Rowan Brown

  This is a book about the dangers of factory farming chicken? The title and cover copy are oddly misleading. But I guess I did learn a lot about factory farming chicken, so that's cool.
• 
  Joe Kessler

  This new 2020 release is probably the best book I've yet read on global pandemics like the still-unfolding COVID-19 scenario -- although admittedly not much of the text actually addresses its title claim, and those recommendations for individual steps during an outbreak should already be familiar to most readers. Stay home as often as humanly possible. Wear a mask or other face covering and try to avoid people when you do go out. Wash your hands frequently, try not to touch your eyes, nose, or mouth, and disinfect things that you bring inside if they'll be handled again soon. There's no surprise panacea here, but public health expert Michael Greger brings a light approach to his in-depth yet easy-to-follow explanations of just why these measures are so effective.
  
  Mostly, however, this is a guide to how diseases like the novel coronavirus spread, and how our societies could better mitigate against them. As with preventative medicine for a single person's body, it is cheaper and healthier in the long run to shore up our critical systems in advance, rather than acting to respond only once a crisis hits. The author's primary suggestions concern unsafe meatpacking practices, which are stomach-churning from both an animal rights perspective and that of simple basic hygiene. On issue after issue, Greger shows how industry greed in a globalized economy has cut corners and introduced risks of infection that will inevitably result in eventual calamity.
  
  Indeed, the most surprising aspect of this read is how it largely downplays the present catastrophe and warns of greater dangers still to come. I'm sure I'm not alone in viewing COVID-19 as the big one that's shaken everything, but Greger, while acknowledging that millions may ultimately die from it, repeatedly contextualizes the coronavirus as a relatively minor threat compared to the other pathogens that are out there mutating in the animal reservoir and could someday jump to our species. We wouldn't necessarily be in this predicament if leaders had listened as this writer and his colleagues sounded the alarm all along, and it's not too late to start now.
  
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• 
  Sparrow Knight

  This book is mis-named. It’s more about where zoonotic pandemics come from, how factory farming makes them much more likely, and how big farm (pun intended) hides the impact of housing thousands of animals on the health and well-being of human communities near and far. There’s only a brief nod to individual preparedness (Wear a mask! Store food! Disinfect! D’oh).
  
  And it gets really repetitious. I think Dr. Greger cited every single source he’s ever read that mentions avian flu. It’s to his credit that he does cite his sources, which is more than can be said for many scientifically-oriented books, but OMG…he really needed an editor to rain in his ‘enthusiasm’ for the evolution of avian flu through factory farming. Before the repetition got to me, I did enjoy his writing, so that’s a plus. And then I just started skimming.
  
  So, if you’re looking for guidance on how to personally prep for pandemics, skip it. If you’re looking to understand how influenza hops species and poses a grave threat to humanity via factory farming, this is a very good start.
  
  Oh, and PS…I won’t be eating supermarket meat anymore. Ew.