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Going viral

During the first lockdown, the death of a close friend made David Jesudason want to know more about viruses and the people who discover them, so he read ‘The Viral Storm’ by Nathan Wolfe. The book had a big impact on David – in it, the author had warned why we were so vulnerable to a global pandemic, several years before Covid-19 swept across the world. Here David imagines himself as a virus – tiny but potentially deadly – and puts himself and those hunting him under the microscope.

Words by David Jesudason

  • In pictures

About the author

Black and white, head and shoulders portrait of David Jesudason.

David Jesudason

David Jesudason is a freelance journalist who covers race issues for BBC Culture, Pellicle and Vittles. He was named Beer Writer of the Year in 2023, after his first book ‘Desi Pubs, A Guide to British-Indian Pubs, Food and Culture’ was hailed as “the most important volume on pubs in 50 years”. David also writes ‘Pub Episodes of My Life’, a weekly newsletter about the drinking establishments that serve marginalised people.