TARGET AGE 11+, , 192 pages, 14x21 cms with b/w illustrations, € 13,90, ISBN 9788851185985  Publication: February 2021

"Why a book on viruses dedicated to middle grade school? Because we must all be united in the response to the pandemic emergency, and health begins with the youngest. Especially by the youngest" – ILARIA CAPUA

“I spent a lot of hours of my life in the field, in the lab, chasing viruses. And today it’s important that kids understand what’s at the root of viral diseases: there is not just coronavirus and influenze, but also diseases of plants, fish and insects. And everything can lead to consequences that affect man and the entire planet.

• What is a virus and how it works?
• How it counters when our body reacts?
• What happened in the past and how can science and research do in prevention?

Ilaria Capua signs a text of popular science in which the protagonist is not only the coronavirus, but the entire invisible world of microorganisms that have always coexisted with man.

One of the greatest Italian scientists offers an important tool for the youngest in which the thorny themes of contagion and pandemic lose the frightening aura of unknown threat and become for the first time an exciting subject of discovery of the natural world.

Ten chapters each dedicated to a different phenomenal virus, and introduced by a small virology bigino within reach of teen.

With simple examples and the right target language, Ilaria Capua also raises the reader’s awareness of the key principles in future societies: preventing pollution, combating the uncontrolled development of human activity in the environment and human interference in natural ecosystems. The book deals with burning current issue,  for which the author is appreciated, such as the phenomenon of displacement, inequality and exploitation of work, closely related to the health crisis that involved us in 2020.

ILARIA CAPUA (Rome, 1966) is a virologist, essayist and former Italian politician. She is known for her studies of influence viruses, particularly avian influence and the recent Covid 19. She is currently director of the University of Florida’s One Health Center of Excellence. 

She has authored over 220 publications in peer reviewed journals and has published scientific books on Avian Influenza and Newcastle disease and six books for the general public. She is active in the field of science communication and in promoting female leadership in the scientific arena.

AWARDS

• 2007 Scientific American 50 Award for leadership in science policy
• 2008 she was included among Seed’s Revolutionary Minds series
• 2011 the Penn Vet World Leadership in Animal Health Award
• 2012 the Gordon Memorial Medal
• 2014 ESCMID Excellence Award for Clinical Microbiology and Infectious diseases
• 2019 honorary PhD from her Alma Mater, University of Perugia

https://onehealth.ifas.ufl.edu/about/one-health-center-of-excellence-team-directory/ilaria-capua-profile/