The Outbreak Atlas

This week’s review presents an outbreak management framework for lay audiences and healthcare workers alike, stressing the importance of community action.

Posted on January 6, 2025 in Reviews of the Month

The Outbreak Atlas

Katz, Rebecca. by Rebecca Katz and Mackenzie S. Moore Vanderbilt, 2024
330p bibl index, 9780826506627 $99.95, 9780826506610 $24.95, 9780826506641

This work opens with a dedication “to every person who wished they understood more during an outbreak” and focuses on an creating an accessible pathway through the field of pandemic preparedness and response. While there is some science in this text involved in understanding the epidemiology and pathology of the pathogens that cause these global pandemics, Katz and Moore shine a spotlight on the intricacies of outbreak management. From laboratory activity to data collection to emergency declaration to disease prevention and mitigation to safety and security to government policy and community engagement—Nihil de nobis, sine nobis “nothing about us, without us”—we all have a part to play in helping our communities when these outbreaks occur. Written and organized in color-coded sections, readers can easily jump around as topics interest them—but sections holistically connect to formulate a very approachable depiction of outbreak response. Numerous case studies support every section grounding the text well. The Outbreak Atlas is a must-read for lay epidemiologists, healthcare professionals, and anyone interested in citizen-science.

Summing Up: Essential. All readers.
Reviewer: Z. G. Ngow, University of California San Diego
Subject: Science & Technology – Health Sciences
Choice Issue: Jan 2025

The Outbreak Atlas

This week’s review presents an outbreak management framework for lay audiences and healthcare workers alike, stressing the importance of community action.