''Superb . . . Rich in interest and truly alarming . . . This is a book that deserves to be read''

OBSERVER

The world is no stranger to the fight needed to tackle a pandemic.

In 1918, the Spanish Flu killed over forty million people - more Americans than all the wars the US fought in the entire twentieth century. Ever since, scientists have agreed that the next pandemic is not a question of if, but when.

And they were right.

As our planet faces another devastating pandemic, Catching Cold tells the extraordinary story of the urgent and unrelenting global effort to try to protect us.

From the inhospitable wastes of the Norwegian Arctic circle to the frenzied food markets of Hong Kong, Davies tracks a small community of experts, working against the clock to uncover what turns a virus into a worldwide disaster, and how best to prevent it - because knowing something's coming is not at all the same thing as being ready for it.