You have been saving up for your tickets and accommodation, time is flying by and, before you know it, you have to commit yourself to going to Rio de Janeiro for the World Cup or Carnival in 2014. In addition, your plans for attending the Olympics in 2016 are being made at the present time. However, the news of the demonstrations in Brazil is increasingly worrying regarding health and safety issues in the country. Look at the unrest in Egypt, Libya and Turkey, and it is natural to ask if Brazil is the next country for major disruptions and anarchy.

"I have written this guide as I have been a frequent visitor to Rio de Janeiro for over 20 years and am therefore in a unique position to reveal the highs and lows of this marvellous city as well as of the fantastic country of Brazil. Millions of visitors attending the World Cup and the Olympics will arrive in Brazil in the next few years and will need constructive advice on how to avoid possible pitfalls of such a trip. In this book, I present tips on survival and health matters in Rio de Janeiro but many of these are also applicable to other cities throughout Brazil. Many of these tips will not be mentioned in standard guidebooks to Brazil as these have been written by tour companies etc. and not by somebody actually living in Rio." Norman Ratcliffe

Norman Ratcliffe recently 'retired' after spending 25 years as a biomedical research professor at Swansea University. He has been a Visiting Professor at Fiocruz Research Institute and Federal University Fluminense Rio de Janeiro for the last 20 years. He has published over 200 books and research papers on immunology, cancer invasion, influenza, tropical diseases and MRSA, and is the author of "It's Your Life: End the Confusion from Inconsistent Health Advice".