cover image No Time to Lose: A Life in Pursuit of Deadly Viruses

No Time to Lose: A Life in Pursuit of Deadly Viruses

Peter Piot. Norton, $27.95 (304p) ISBN 978-0-393-06316-5

Piot wanted a life of adventure and work that would save the world, and the Belgian-born infectious disease specialist, now director of the London School of Tropical Medicine, got exactly that: in Africa, he helped discover the Ebola virus and bring AIDS onto the world stage. In this inspiring memoir of working with the people and institutions that battled the viruses, Piot exudes intelligence, passion, and excitement. He was just 27 when he set out in 1976 to save the African heartland from a yet unnamed hemorrhagic virus—now known as Ebola—and became part of an international collaboration that isolated a disease fueled by poverty and the neglect of health systems. Twenty years later, battling AIDS was no less urgent, but more politically challenging. Piot helped assure that affordable drugs revolutionizing AIDS treatment would be available to the poorest victims. He leaves a legacy of change and hope in two worlds—medicine and politics—and an urgent reminder that their cooperation saves lives. Agent: Charlotte Sheedy, Charlotte Sheedy Agency. (May)