Untitled
by Karen Kasmauski and Peter Jaret
Foreword by Jimmy Carter
Introduction by Dr. Donald R. Hopkins
From the Rivers of Africa to the living rooms of North America,
people face new and renewed threats to public health. Thirty previously
unknown diseases have emerged in the past quarter century, among them
SARS and West Nile virus. That's not all: Improper use of medicines and
poor sanitation are partly to blame for allowing old foes like tuberculosis
to thrive and develop stronger strains.
In Impact, acclaimed science and health writer Peter Jaret shows
us the interconnectedness of the environment, family planning, clean water
jet-age travel, imported pets, and a host of other factors that cause and
spread diseases around the world today. Photographer Karen Kasmauski has
traveled through five continents in over 15 years covering the global reach
of diseases and the compassionate attempts of those who work to improve health.
Far from being solely a litany of what is wrong with the world's health,
Impact is a profile of people and institutions striving to better the
lives of millions, and succeeding. It documents the rise of children immunized
against measles from 5 percent in the 1970s to more than 70 percent in the 1990s
through the work of the Carter Center and countless others. It tells of women in
Africa and Asia who have been taught that by simply filtering water through cloth,
they can protect their families from debilitating illnesses. It portrays teen
mothers and senior citizens making choices to better their health.
Some soldiers in the fight against disease are well known, such as Jimmy Carter, former
President, Nobel Peace Prize winner, and head of the Carter Center. In his foreword
President Carter speaks for all those who created this book when he says
"Once we understand, we can care, and once we care, we can change."
(Hard cover only) 240 pages (Dimensions 10 1/2, 10, 1 inches)