China Syndrome

January 2, 2006
Greenfeld's ground zero perspective on SARS—he was editing Time Asia
when the first rumors of a virulent disease sweeping mainland Chinese hospitals hit his desk—brings reportorial immediacy to this chronicle of how epidemiologists realized that the cases of "atypical pneumonia" scattered throughout Asia were the initial wave of severe acute respiratory syndrome, a new strain of avian flu. Greenfeld's portraits present multiple angles on the story, such as a young man who falls sick after emigrating to the big city and a doctor who bravely volunteers to treat patients despite the huge risk of infection. The author also describes his own reactions while trying to keep his family and magazine staff safe in Hong Kong amid growing panic, and muses on how congested urban areas provide a perfect breeding ground for viruses. But he repeatedly returns to the most egregious factor in the disease's spread: the silence from (and outright suppression of information by) the Chinese government during the earliest stages of the epidemic. SARS could have been much worse, he warns, and we almost certainly will see its like again—and for all the heroic struggles to contain the danger, his final prognosis is not a happy one.

Starred review from February 1, 2006
Former " Time Asia" editor Greenfeld was in China when evidence of a new flu appeared at the end of 2002 in the southern city Shenzhen, which had grown from a few thousand to seven million in 20 years, so fast that every one of the central government's development plans failed for lack of time to implement it. As China was enjoying a tremendous economic boom, accompanied by mass urbanization, during what is called the Era of Wild Flavor, Shenzhen was also on a wild ride. And there was perhaps no better example of the Era of Wild Flavor than the wild-animal markets that provided restaurateurs and adventurous diners with virtually every species from land, sea, and air. Greenfeld, whose magazine and Web site were off-limits to the Chinese populace, watched and reported on the spread of a highly infectious disease even as the Chinese government squelched, concealed, denied--and gave it the time and opportunity to escalate into a major pandemic. Greenfeld offers little hope that the Chinese have learned any lesson, for it's back to business-as-usual for Shenzhen's wild-animal trade, and he ponders the nature and purpose of viruses as he paints a rather gloomy picture of what we and the World Health Organization can expect next.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2006, American Library Association.)

February 1, 2006
In late 2002, a virus passed from animal to man and emerged in China as the cause of severe (or sudden) acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). By late spring 2003, it had spread through much of the world before being contained. Most fatalities occurred in mainland China, where 5,327 people were infected and 349 died, and in Hong Kong, where 299 died. Greenfeld ("Speed Tribes: Days and Nights with Japan's Next Generation") was the Hong Kong -based editor of "Time Asia" during the outbreak, and here he traces the origins and spread of the disease in a chronological drumbeat that sometimes follows the events by day. Scientific competition to be the first to identify the cause and then to learn as much as possible about it was hindered at every step by a Chinese government reluctant to admit to any problem. Nonetheless, the "Time Asia" staff eventually gained inside sources and helped unravel the cover-up. Greenfeld moves quickly, often conjuring a thriller, and his personal and professional involvement give his account, which covers much of the same ground as Thomas Abraham's "Twenty-First Century Plague: The Story of SARS", a unique perspective. Recommended for all public libraries." -Dick Maxwell, Porter Adventist Hosp. Medical Lib., Denver"

Copyright 2006 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.