The world came to a halt in 2020 due to the COVID-19 virus. This timely book looks at how governments jumped into action, adapting their strategies as the pandemic evolved and changed. It also explores historical pandemic responses, the problems and challenges related to carrying out pandemic strategies, and how we can learn from the COVID-19 pandemic to prepare for the future. Free downloadable Teacher's Notes.
The flu is so common that people don't often see it as a deadly and debilitating disease. Despite the advances made by science, each year 5 million people worldwide get the flu, and thousands die from complications. This fascinating book sheds light on what the flu is, and the role of medical technology in diagnosing it and developing treatments such as drugs and vaccines.
Like many viruses, smallpox is highly contagious. It's also dreadful, deadly, and thanks to microscopes and modern technology--now officially eradicated. This fascinating book explains how a concerted effort to produce a vaccine and distribute it around the world helped eliminate the deadly scourge by 1980.
Polio plagued humans for thousands of years with no cure and few effective treatments. This informative book describes how there was no real understanding of what it was until scientists were able to do research on the disease using microscopes. It was not until 1961 that a vaccine was developed. Since then, polio has been eradicated in most of the world.
Malaria is an ancient disease caused by a parasite passed through the bites of infected mosquitoes. It is only now--through extensive scientific research--that malaria can be prevented, treated, and cured. This fascinating book examines the difficulties malaria still presents and how science is working on a "zero malaria plan" that will one day eradicate the disease entirely.
A rare and deadly disease, Ebola is one of a number of different viruses that have "jumped" from animals to humans. This informative book shows how scientists studied the virus and began working on treatments and vaccines that will not only make Ebola less deadly, but will further the knowledge of other diseases.
This timely book follows the emergence of COVID-19 in December 2019, and describes how, within a few short months, it transformed the way the world was living and working. The first major world pandemic in more than 100 years brought new testing and technology to the forefront, resulting in the fastest-ever vaccine creation.
Vaccines are substances that help protect people from diseases and they have been proven to save lives. So why has something that should reassure people become so controversial? This useful and timely book looks at the facts, viewpoints, and perspectives surrounding vaccines and how they became a crossroads between science and individual rights.
When COVID-19 was declared a pandemic in 2020, nearly every country in the world went into some form of lockdown. Yet each was different. With fascinating images and informative text, this book looks at the rules and restrictions people lived under and how they affected work, school, commerce, and daily life. A detailed final chapter examines the success and failures of lockdown and how countries could approach future pandemics.
The COVID-19 pandemic put a spotlight on the problems and flaws in the way we live in modern cities and communities. This useful book analyzes why some cities and countries suffered more than others by the harms inflicted by the pandemic. By exploring historical and contemporary pandemics, we can learn how cities and countries can assess their vulnerabilities and find ways to reduce the risk to citizens in future pandemics.
When people boarded the Diamond Princess cruise ship in February 2020, they had no idea their luxury vacation would turn into a nightmare of quarantine, sickness, and death. Using real examples of living through the pandemic, this fascinating book gives an overall inside look at how much changed and how quickly during COVID-19--the first major pandemic since 1918. A useful timeline will help readers keep track of the major events during the pandemic.
Never having faced such a challenge, governments were mostly slow to respond at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Then came groundbreaking science, historically swift vaccines, and economic stimulus packages to try to keep the virus under control and ease the burden of faltering economies. This detailed book examines the unprecedented challenges brought about by the pandemic, and how governments and people have coped.
The control and command center of the whole body, we wouldn't be able to breathe, have a heartbeat, avoid danger, or sleep without the nervous system. Find out what illnesses affect the nervous system and how medical research has advanced our knowledge. Full-color illustrations help readers visualize the nervous system at work. Free downloadable Teacher's Guide available.
The average person takes 17,000 breaths per day. This fascinating book examines the mechanisms that make breathing work and the diseases that make breathing difficult. Full-color illustrations help readers visualize the respiratory system at work. Free downloadable Teacher's Guide available.
Your digestive system is like a production line. Food, drinks, or pills travel through tubes, filters, and holding rooms, as body chemicals work to extract nutrients. This fascinating book explores gut microbiomes, human waste, and how the digestive system identifies problems. Full-color illustrations help readers visualize the digestive system at work. Free downloadable Teacher's Guide available.
The immune system is a large network of cells, tissues, and organs that work together, acting like a fort with guards to keep out risky viruses and bacteria and destroy invaders. Readers will learn how researchers are striving to improve the body's immune system to fight off disease. Full-color illustrations help readers visualize the immune system at work. Free downloadable Teacher's Guide available.
The statistics tell a horrific story: one in six women and one in 33 men will be sexually assaulted in their lifetime. Over 93 percent of juvenile sexual assault and rape victims know their assaulters. Written by a therapist, Date Rape helps readers understand this sensitive issue and gives those who have experienced it advice and coping strategies. Topics include the effects of rape, from depression to post-traumatic stress disorder, and suicide, as well as the benefits of disclosure and trust.
Finding yourself pregnant as a teenager is a scary thing. There are so many issues involved. Teen Pregnancy examines the fact that about one third of girls in the United States will get pregnant before the age of twenty. Yet it is still difficult for teens to talk about sex. Teens share their own personal experiences to provide further insight on this issue. A further resources page gives readers assistance in finding other books, Web sites, and organizations that provide additional information on teen pregnancy.
Did you know about one third of high school students take steroids to improve their looks, not just their athletic skills? Steroid use is becoming a major issue among 12- to 18-year-olds today. This helpful and informative book looks at the pressures young people are under to look cut and perform well in sports. Special chapters examine the effects of anabolic steroids on the developing bodies and minds of young people and how difficult it can be to quit when you've got the edge.
Crystal meth is more addictive than heroin or cocaine and is widely available on the streets of North America. This helpful book looks at the use and abuse of meth, an inexpensive and accessible drug that takes an unbelievable toll on the bodies and brains of users. Special chapters on seeking help, and treatment and recovery provide accurate and useful information on meth addiction and treatment.
In this fascinating title, readers find out about the food supply chain, fair trade, and how our eating habits affect our health. With debate boxes and contemporary case studies, readers also discover the environmental impacts their food purchases have on the planet.
Cultural beliefs surrounding illness and societal beliefs about how we should offer health care are discussed in this fascinating addition to the Our Values series. Discussions about the treatment of common diseases, as well as topics of interest, such as how a cast is made, are compared and contrasted with the way health care is provided throughout the world.
This gripping title traces the causes, symptoms, and treatment of plague through the height of the Black Death in Europe and into the modern day.
Prescription and over-the-counter medications are the most commonly abused drugs by high school students after marijuana. One in five young people abuses prescription meds - cotton, rits, beans, tuss, and bricks - street names for these non-street drugs. Street Pharma looks at this growing problem and gives young readers the information they need to say no before they start using or find help to quit when they've become addicted.
A recent survey on drug use recorded 729,000 youths 12 years of age or older who had used inhalants and solvents for the first time within the past year. These substances, along with prescription and over-the-counter medications, can be found in almost every home and have become an easy-access entry point to drug use for young people. This important book carefully examines the facts and fiction about "huffing," and provides information on addiction and treatment, as well as useful alternatives to drug use.
