Providing accurate, accessible information on vaccines and the controversies that surround them, this book outlines the history of vaccine regulation and interactions between vaccines and the immune system, and thoughtfully considers each vaccine debate. A part of Greenwood's Health and Medical Issues Today series, The Vaccine Debate provides a straightforward introduction to the interaction between vaccines and the immune system. The book documents the rise of the anti-vaccination movement, provides reasons for its prominence today, and explains the effects of vaccine refusal on public health. It also addresses concerns about the role of government in regulating vaccine production and administration, along with questions about vaccine safety. Additionally, a majority of the book examines in detail seven major vaccine controversies and mainstream medical positions on them. These controversies are given individual attention, with questions at the end of each to encourage critical thinking about such topics as the effectiveness of vaccines in protecting public health and whether vaccinations should be mandatory for public school attendance.

Why is there such an active and ongoing resistance to mandatory vaccination? This book examines why vaccination as a public health measure continues to be highly controversial. Objections to mandatory vaccination are widespread in the world today. Rather than being a new development, such objections have existed since vaccinations were first introduced. This book provides complete coverage of the history and background of vaccination issues in the United States and around the world, along with a detailed examination of the issues related to the use of vaccination today, and supplies readers with the necessary information to consider if the potential benefits of vaccination outweigh the risks. Vaccination Controversies: A Reference Handbook overviews the scientific basis for and history of immunization as a method for protecting individuals against disease, along with a review of the social, political, and economic issues related to the use of immunization in both human and animal populations. The book debunks prevalent public health myths by clearly outlining the scientific consensus behind modern immunization regimes. Also included are profiles of important individuals and organizations within the history of vaccination, a chronology of important events, as well as pertinent reports, laws, and court decisions that give the reader a greater appreciation of the issues surrounding vaccination.

Give your readers a comprehensive resource that will allow them to form intelligent opinions on a perennial, hot-button topic. Since the smallpox vaccine was invented in 1796, vaccination has played an essential role in eradicating a number of diseases, including polio, measles, tetanus, and smallpox. Despite its effectiveness at preventing disease outbreaks, vaccination has been met with resistance. It has on rare occasions caused patients to become injured or ill, encouraging some to deduce that they are not worth the risk. Questions about whether vaccines are linked to autism also abound. While universal vaccination would help to eliminate diseases, the question of whether it violates individual liberty merits consideration. The prospective future of vaccination is also discussed.

In 2009 in Australia, a citizens' campaign was launched to silence public criticism of vaccination. This campaign involved an extraordinary variety of techniques to denigrate, harass and censor public vaccine critics. It was unlike anything seen in other scientific controversies, involving everything from alleging beliefs in conspiracy theories to rewriting Wikipedia entries. Vaccination Panic in Australia analyses this campaign from the point of view of free speech. Brian Martin describes the techniques used in the attack, assesses different ways of defending and offers wider perspectives for understanding the struggle. The book will be of interest to readers interested in the vaccination debate and in struggles over free speech and citizen participation in decision-making.

This authoritative and unbiased narrative—supported by 50 primary source documents—follows the history of vaccination, highlighting essential medical achievements and ongoing controversies. This timely work provides a comprehensive overview of the scientific breakthrough known as vaccination and the controversy surrounding its opposition. A timeline of discoveries trace the medical and societal progression of vaccines from the early development of this medical preventive to the eradication of epidemics and the present-day discussion about its role in autism. The content presents compelling parallels across different time periods to reflect the ongoing concerns that have persisted throughout history regarding vaccination. Author Lisa Rosner provides a sweeping overview of the topic, covering the development of modern vaccines and practices, laws governing the distribution of vaccines, patients' rights, consumer advocacy, and vaccination disasters. Throughout the volume, primary source documents present the perspectives of researchers, public health specialists, physicians, patients, consumer advocates, and government officials, helping to illuminate the past, present, and future of vaccines on a global level.

Everyone has opinions about vaccines, but what are the facts? This resource provides clear, unbiased, and up-to-date information on vaccination, which protects the world's populations not only from pandemics like COVID-19 but other dangerous diseases as well. Each title in the Contemporary Debates series examines the veracity of controversial claims or beliefs surrounding a major political/cultural issue in the United States. They do so to give readers a clear and unbiased understanding of current issues by informing them about falsehoods, half-truths, and misconceptions—and confirming the factual validity of other assertions—that have gained traction in America's political and cultural discourse. This latest addition to the series is the first reference work on vaccines written through the lens of the COVID-19 pandemic. It asks—and answers—questions raised by the pandemic, such as how vaccines work, what causes side effects, and how COVID-19 vaccines were developed so quickly. It also addresses broader questions, such as how to protect vaccine supply chains and how to prevent public health issues from being politicized. In addition to correcting or clarifying well-known misinformation and misunderstandings about vaccines (such as false claims that they have been linked to autism), this book also provides up-to-date research on ways to counter disinformation and decrease vaccine hesitancy.

Uncovering common threads across types of science skepticism to show why these controversial narratives stick and how we can more effectively counter them through storytelling Science v. Story analyzes four scientific controversies--climate change, evolution, vaccination, and COVID-19--through the lens of storytelling. Instead of viewing stories as adversaries to scientific practices, Emma Frances Bloomfield demonstrates how storytelling is integral to science communication. Drawing from narrative theory and rhetorical studies, Science v. Story examines scientific stories and rival stories, including disingenuous rival stories that undermine scientific conclusions and productive rival stories that work to make science more inclusive. Science v. Story offers two tools to evaluate and build stories: narrative webs and narrative constellations. These visual mapping tools chart the features of a story (i.e., characters, action, sequence, scope, storyteller, and content) to locate opportunities for audience engagement. Bloomfield ultimately argues that we can strengthen science communication by incorporating storytelling in critical ways that are attentive to audience and context.