Review By Glenn Koenen – St. Louis
Yes, the parallels startle.
- The jump from animals (pigs in Kansas) to people escaped notice for longer than it should.
- The first major infected population spread the disease far and wide at breakneck speed.
- Governments – especially America’s – bungled the early response.
- Many of those researching and fighting the disease perished or suffered.
- Working folks took the biggest financial hit.
True, as the book explains, a pandemic almost by definition is never expected. The response always begins ad hoc as bits of the story pop-up – along with a lot of red herrings and confusion.
Yet, the overall situation mimics past events. Instead of remembering what had been learned, alas, a thousand wrong decisions recreate the same mistakes.
By Don Corrigan
Connecting people to animals is the core of the Saint Louis Zoo’s mission, and that doesn’t stop when its doors are closed. Stay connected with the Zoo’s 
