AIDS. Ebola. Bird flu. SARS. These and other epidemics have wiped out millions of lives and cost the global economy billions of dollars. Experts predict that the next big epidemic is just around the corner. But are we prepared for it? And could we actually prevent it? Somewhere out there, a super virus is boiling up in the bloodstream of a bird, bat, monkey or pig, preparing to jump to a human being. This as-yet-undetected germ has the potential to kill more than 300 million people. That risk makes the threat posed by a ground war, a massive climate event, or even the dropping of a nuclear bomb on a major city pale in comparison. But there is hope. The doctor and Harvard instructor explains the science and the politics of combatting epidemics and tells the stories of the heroes who’ve succeeded in their fights to stop the spread of illness and death.