Description
Book SynopsisImmunization is regarded by many as one of the greatest advances in modern civilization. The widespread use of vaccines has led to increases in life expectancy, reductions in the occurrence of childhood diseases, and is generally credited with saving millions of lives annually. But since their discovery two centuries ago, vaccines have been dogged by pockets of persistent distrust among those who are skeptical of their science or who find compulsory immunization at odds with personal liberty. The rise of these voices in contemporary culture has contributed to trends of vaccine delay and vaccine hesitancy in some communities -- a chasm between the general population and the scientific establishment that has persisted and grown at times across the last several decades. VACCINES: What Everyone Needs to Know offers a scientifically grounded overview of the science, manufacture, and culture of vaccines in the United States and internationally. Aiming to offer an unbiased resource on this ho
Trade ReviewLife has been made immeasurably better by the sharp decline in the incidence of infectious diseases, an improvement made possible through inoculations, especially of children, which protect people from contracting diseases and have led to the elimination or near elimination of maladies such as smallpox and polio. Yet public wariness of vaccines persists and has even in some cases increasedperhaps, ironically, owing in part to the decline in disease incidence produced by vaccines. This useful, fair-minded, and extremely informative book explains how vaccines are produced and how they work; discusses the diverse reasons behind some parents hesitancy to inoculate their children; explores the prospect of employing vaccines for not only preventing but also curing some diseases, including AIDS and even some cancers; and examines the potential for the total elimination of particular diseases, such as measles. * Foreign Affairs *
Table of ContentsSECTION 1: VACCINES AND IMMUNIZATION: BASIC PRINCIPLES 1. What is a vaccine? 2. A brief history of vaccines 3. How are vaccines developed? 4. Vaccine financing: who pays for all of this? 5. How is vaccine safety monitored and ensured? SECTION 2: THE IMMUNIZATION SCHEDULE 6. Immunization schedules SECTION 3: VACCINE POLICY: OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES 7. Laws and Standard Practices for Vaccine Administration 8. Vaccine Hesitancy SECTION 4: FUTURE DIRECTIONS 9. Vaccine development 10. Vaccines in the Developing World 11. Disease eradication SECTION 5: APPENDIX Childhood, Adolescent and Adult Immunization Schedules Current Adult Schedule
