Advanced
Error loading page.
Try refreshing the page. If that doesn't work, there may be a network issue, and you can use our self test page to see what's preventing the page from loading.
Learn more about possible network issues or contact support for more help.
Title details for Vaccines by Kristen A. Feemster - Available

Vaccines

by Kristen A. Feemster
ebook
1 of 1 copy available
Borrow Read a sample Read a sample
1 of 1 copy available
Immunization 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 hotly debated subject, it provides accessible, authoritative overviews of the following:
  • How vaccines work
  • The history of vaccines
  • Vaccine policy — who writes it, and does it matter?
  • The contents and manufacture of vaccines
  • Vaccine injury
  • The alleged link between vaccines and autism
  • Vaccines and new outbreaks Written by a leading authority in both infectious disease and vaccine education, this book offers a clear-eyed resource for parents or anyone with an interest in the use, efficacy, and controversy surrounding vaccines. In a subject area defined by partisanship, it offers reliable resource for what everyone needs to know.

    • Creators

    • Series

      What Everyone Needs to Know

    • Publisher

    • Release date

      October 3, 2017

    • Formats

      • Kindle Book

      • OverDrive Read

        • ISBN: 9780190277932

      • EPUB ebook

        • ISBN: 9780190277932
        • File size: 1189 KB

    • Languages

      • English

    • Reviews

      • Library Journal

        October 1, 2017

        From vaccine hesitancy to virulent anti-vaccine views, parents are questioning what used to be considered a triumph of public health--vaccines. As so often happens with debates on controversial issues, emotion often trumps information. These two new books offer refreshingly fact-based alternatives to the vitriol dominating the current conversation on vaccines.Feemster (pediatric infectious disease & health policy, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia) offers a concise yet comprehensive introduction to vaccines: how they work; are developed, financed, and distributed; how laws and policies related to vaccines are established; how vaccines are tested and monitored for safety; and why some parents hesitate to vaccinate. This book reads like an extended FAQ, with a few paragraphs of explanation under headers such as "What are active surveillance networks?" While clearly provaccination, Feemster informs without pontificating.Blume's (emeritus, science & technology studies, Univ. of Amsterdam) work is more opinionated, but his thesis does not fit neatly into the pro- or anti-vax camps. Though the title references the vaccine controversy, the author addresses that topic directly only in the last chapter. The remainder of the book introduces vaccines and vaccine technology, then recounts a detailed political and social history of vaccines, focusing primarily on Europe and the United States. From Cold War politics to neoliberal economics, Blume puts policy and advancement into a broader context in which public health sometimes takes a back seat to other, less noble concerns. His central argument, articulated in the final chapter, is that vaccine hesitancy is rooted in mistrust of the institutions that promote them--especially governments and pharmaceutical companies. Both books are for an educated lay audience and include extensive citations. VERDICT While the prose can be dry, readers who wish to be informed of the current debate and issues surrounding it will appreciate the clear, fact-based approaches of both authors.--Janet Crum, Northern Arizona Univ. Lib., Flagstaff

        Copyright 2017 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

    Formats

    • Kindle Book
    • OverDrive Read
    • EPUB ebook

    subjects

    Languages

    • English

    Loading