Foreword

Abstract

Throughout history, epidemics and pandemics have been part of human life. Although mostly with negative impacts, pathogens emergence and reemergence are also related to multiple factors, including anthropogenic ones. Today, even more than ever, in a globalized world, highly connected by air traffic but at the same time by telecommunications, the consequences of such emerging conditions, as has been especially the case of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), that began with a small outbreak in a localized place of the earth, Wuhan, China in late 2019, may potentially affect in few weeks and months, the whole planet, as with COVID-19 occurred. The book Pandemic Outbreaks in the 21st Century: Epidemiology, Pathogenesis, Prevention, and Treatment, edited by Buddolla Viswanath, is a timely piece that amid the COVID-19 pandemic greatly summarize in 19 chapters highly relevant topics covering multiple aspects of COVID-19, MERS-CoV, and other coronaviruses, Avian and Swine Influenza, Ebola, Zika, among others.