The other was a massive expedition, taking years to plan and execute, that moved in the glare of publicity covered by the world's media, and cost at least half a million dollars. Guess which one found the virus. In addition, Kolata explores the intimate relationship between pigs, fowl, humans and the influenza virus. She describes the intense search for the source of a new and deadly strain of flu that killed a young child in Hong Kong in 1997. Luckily, that turned out not to be the index case of the next influenza pandemic.
Flu is a great read, although following the machinations of the swine flu episode can be slow.
My only complaint about this book is that it was written just a little too soon. We become fascinated by the medical detective work, but the book ends before the culprit is really identified. At the final page, researchers are still working hard to determine what it was about the 1918 influenza virus that made it so deadly, but they don't yet have any real answers. The book concludes on a frustrating note. Next fall, you may want to put this volume in the waiting room of your office practice.