Soap and Water & Common Sense: The Definitive Guide to Viruses, Bacteria, Parasites, and Disease

Dr. Bonnie Henry, Public Health Emergency Director at the BC Centre for Disease Control, reissued her 2009 guide Soap and Water & Common Sense in response to COVID-19, illustrating how the pandemic revived interest in foundational public health knowledge.

While not COVID-specific, the book’s accessible overview of infectious disease history—ranging from smallpox vaccination to antibiotic resistance—resonated in early pandemic storytelling. Henry underscores hygiene and prevention as central to disease control, critiquing overreliance on medical technologies and highlighting the enduring role of public health strategies in mitigating outbreaks.