Fever in the Jungle: Inside the World of an Epidemic Troubleshooter

"Sebastian captures the fine line between success and failure in tackling some of the greatest challenges facing humanity… a book that will inspire involvement in the work of epidemic control in inhospitable places." – Mark Pollock, explorer, speaker and strategist; author of Making it Happen
What is life really like amidst the global battle against epidemics and infectious diseases? In Fever in the Jungle, Sebastian Kevany draws on his experiences of over more than one hundred treatment, prevention and outbreak missions, in some of the most remote corners of the world. Amidst the fight against HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria and Ebola, he takes us out of hotel room bubbles and, not just off the beaten track – but to the places where there are no tracks at all.
Fever in the Jungle describes, in vivid detail, the successes and defeats of a field epidemiologist, troubleshooter, liaison, barefoot diplomat and jack-of-all-trades. From rattling convoys and ramshackle malaria clinics in South Sudan, to air-conditioned meetings with government officials in Sierra Leone – with a few full-moon parties along the way – this is a window in to the often bizarre challenges, places and adventures that make up an occasionally chaotic, often unpredictable yet, always fulfilling existence.
Sebastian Kevany has worked in the Middle East, the South Pacific, Eastern Europe and Asia, focusing on epidemic and infectious disease control and response, monitoring and evaluation, health security, international relations, human rights, conflict resolution, diplomacy and international relations. Praise for Fever in the Jungle
"Reminds me of my own archaic experiences travelling in various places of the world more than sixty years ago. The arrival of any foreigner in a small remote village would immediately alert the local residents to produce any sick person in the community who needed medical help. To my shame the most I ever took with me were aspirins, plaster and iodine and other similar remedies which were generally of very little use. In many such areas there were no hospitals and doctors and people would have to walk for miles to see perhaps a missionary doctor. I remember people squatting for hours with their children, together with others in the hope of finding a doctor. Hopefully, as is suggested in Sebastian’s book, which covers so wide an area of Africa and other parts of the world, things are changing. Perhaps even someone like Wilfid Thesiger, that experienced traveller, always kept a small medical supply to help in the numerous places he visited. I wish Bassie the best of fortune in the splendid work he does." – Peter Somerville-Large
"Captures the challenges and adventures of epidemic response in Africa." – Fatu Yumkella
"We are transported to places where reality surpasses imagination, leaving the reader with a sense of participation in the world’s epochal challenges." – Dr. Michel Rubbini
"Captures the challenges of epidemic control in Iraq and other challenging, conflict environments … shows us that dedication to work, technical capacity and commitment, and team spirit were among the major factors that really make a difference." – Dr. Thamer Al Hilfi
“A one-part epidemiological field guide, and one-part adventure novel … offers a unique insight into the on-the-ground practices and dangers of global disease prevention and control. A must-read for those who like to be informed while entertained." – Professor Garrett Wallace Brown
"Captures the challenges of epidemics under challenging political regimes, in Zimbabwe and elsewhere, and takes the reader with him on journeys through political, security and actual minefields … Perhaps we have finally found the James Bond of global health - though these stories are as much “uh-oh’ as ‘double-0’." – Oliver Murima