Includes bibliographical references (pages 167-174) and index.

"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."--

"Vaccines are one of the most important public health achievements of our time. But now as many vaccine preventable diseases are no longer perceived an imminent threat, vaccines are both lauded and feared, amplified by rapid-fire dissemination of conflicting messages. This book will follow the story of vaccines in the past, present and future to disentangle fact from fiction and underscore their important role in our society"--