Also in Food & Health

Bird Flu What to Do

Prepare to Survive

by Verona Fonté Ph.D.

Praise

"I applaud Verona Fonté for this tremendously important book. May her ideas spread - "like a virus" - quickly and widely - to individuals, organizations and communities throughout the world. Dr. Fonté has assembled an enormous amount of information into a clear and easy-to-read guide - for reference and for action. Her emphasis is on the power of preparedness, and she has gifted us with simple guidelines. While the immediate focus is on the avian flu, this book is a manual for survival in a much larger sense. We are living at a crucial time. As we attend the many tasks of our day-to-day lives, each of us feels deeply a bit of foreboding: we are aware of the growing possibility of a large scale disaster, whether it be natural or man-made. Dr. Fonté's vision empowers us to begin to act collectively, to strengthen our connections, as families, as organizations and communities. Putting our health first, she teaches us to see our interdependence, and leads us to come together to create a safer and more sustainable world. Thank you Dr. Fonté! May this book find its way, quickly!, to homes, libraries, coffee tables, community centers, clinics, and businesses far and wide."

—Vivien M. Feyer, EdM, C.A.S., Physicians for Social Responsibility

"US citizens have had ample opportunity to see the weaknesses in government's response capabilities for hurricanes, floods, and other natural disasters. Verona Fonté has written an excellent guide to assist citizens to prepare for a pandemic. Her book, Bird Flu: What To Do is easily understandable and presents a comprehensive planning approach to pandemic preparation. Readers who follow through on her suggestions should have the ability to protect themselves, their family, their businesses, and their neighborhood from the hazards associated with an outbreak of a pandemic disease."

—Joshua Lichterman, Ph.D., in Public Health; President of the Emergency Management Group, Inc.; Management consultant to corporations in emergency preparations

"Verona Fonté, Ph.D. - film-maker, psychologist, peace activist, and now writer, saw a crucial unmet public health need and has moved to fill it. She makes an important contribution to people everywhere with this down-to-earth, detailed, and practical guide to dealing with an avian influenza on other viral pandemic, which will one day come. Each of us must face the facts and take personal responsibility. This book leads the way."

—Ted Mohns, M.D., Associate Clinical Professor, UCSD School of Medicine

"Writing about disaster planning is both art and science. Dr. Fonté's book will move individuals from pervasive denial to educated responses that will save lives. Bird Flu: What to Do is thoughtful and calm -- and yet a call to action!"

—Candice Ford Gray, M.L.I.S., Director, PlaneTree Health Library San Jose, Ca.

Verona Fonté's critical book, Bird Flu: What to Do, speaks to the immediacy of both individual and community preparation to alleviate the suffering created by natural disasters. Having spent my life dedicated to trying to avert man-made disasters, I understand, admire, and identify with the underlying purpose of this book.

—Daniel Ellsberg, Ph.D., Activist and Author of Secrets: A Memoir of Vietnam and the Pentagon Papers and Risk, Ambiguity and Decision

"This book encourages neighborhood and community involvement as a central and unifying thesis, emphasizing the relevance of our interdependence in times of crisis. Experience has demonstrated that the community is the central factor when dealing with any natural disaster. How the community is organized, how people relate, what institutions are involved, and how they collaborate is of utmost importance in dealing well with natural disasters. In addition to the details that relate directly to a pandemic, Bird Flu: What To Do has something to teach us about the broader issue of disaster preparation."

—Leonard Duhl, M.D., F.A.C.P., Professor Emeritus, University of California, Berkeley School of Public Health

"Dr. Fonté's sensible, easy-to-understand guidelines for disaster preparation will go far toward helping mitigate the impact of an impending epidemic in our country. I urge widespread distribution of this excellent publication and broad compliance with its recommendations. In the absence of effective vaccines or medicines, preparation and precaution are our only weapons."

—E. Ratcliffe Anderson, Jr., M.D., Professor of Medicine, Loyola University School of Medicine; Former Air Force Surgeon General, former CEO of the American Medical Association