Reviewed by Rama Gaind.
By Raina MacIntyre, NewSouth Books, $32.99.
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought with it disinformation, political meddling, controversy, counter-narratives and a flood of pseudo-experts willing to sell themselves for power and favour.
World-leading epidemiologist and biosecurity expert Raina MacIntyre provides insights into historical biological attacks, lab accidents and epidemics, and the COVID-19 pandemic. She reveals a recurrent theme of denial, silence and cover-up around unnatural epidemics and the powerful vested interests at play.
The challenges of ascertaining the origins of an epidemic is partly due to established ways of thinking about outbreaks, but denial of unnatural origins of epidemics is a recurring theme throughout history. However, Raina uses the lens of history to show that not everything is as it seems.
One of the debates about the COVID-19 pandemic is whether it was a natural spillover from an animal or an accidental release from a lab. In Dark Winter Professor MacIntyre warns that we need to improve our methods of identifying future outbreaks, and that scientists may not be the people to do it — rather that Intelligence and law enforcement services have a better toolkit.
She argues that the solution to the existential threat we face from biotechnology will not come from scientists, but from the community having a voice in the future of the planet and humanity.
Dark Winter is an all-encompassing journey through the past, present and future of pandemics and biosecurity, and is dissected and analysed by someone who knows what they’re talking about.
MacIntyre, a physician, an expert on infectious diseases, epidemics, bioterrorism prevention, vaccines and public health, is also Professor of Global Biosecurity at UNSW and head of the biosecurity program at the Kirby Institute in Sydney.
