Description
Why are growing numbers of parents worldwide questioning the wisdom of having their children vaccinated? Why have public-sector vaccine producers been sold off? And can we trust the multinational corporations that increasingly dominate vaccine development and production? In this hard-hitting book, now available in B-format paperback, Stuart Blume argues that globalization and healthcare deficiencies are eroding faith in the institutions producing and providing vaccines. He tells the history of immunization practices, from the work of early pioneers such as Louis Pasteur and Robert Koch to the establishment of the World Health Organization and the introduction of genetic engineering. Immunization exposes the limits of public health authorities while suggesting how they can restore our confidence. Public health experts and all those considering vaccinations should read this timely history.
About the Author
Stuart Blume is Emeritus Professor of Science and Technology Studies at the University of Amsterdam. Educated at Oxford University, he has previously worked at the University of Sussex, the London School of Economics and in Whitehall.
Reviews
'a fascinating history of vaccination and its troubles' - Times Higher Education 'Blume grapples with the hot-button topic of immunization programs and public resistance to them in this persuasive, challenging chronicle of how vaccines improved human health - and the pharmaceutical industry's bottom line . . . Blume's crucial history illustrates that vaccines have saved countless lives, but they must win the confidence of those who don't recognize their universal benefit.' - Publishers Weekly 'In his thought-provoking book, Stuart Blume carefully explains how exactly vaccines protect the human body, before going on to explore the worrying phenomenon that has come to be dubbed "vaccine hesitancy" - the reluctance of some parents to have their children vaccinated.' - Manjit Kumar, Prospect magazine
Book Information
ISBN 9781789145045
Author Stuart Blume
Format Paperback
Page Count 280
Imprint Reaktion Books
Publisher Reaktion Books
About the Author
Stuart Blume is Emeritus Professor of Science and Technology Studies at the University of Amsterdam. Educated at Oxford University, he has previously worked at the University of Sussex, the London School of Economics and in Whitehall.
Reviews
'a fascinating history of vaccination and its troubles' - Times Higher Education 'Blume grapples with the hot-button topic of immunization programs and public resistance to them in this persuasive, challenging chronicle of how vaccines improved human health - and the pharmaceutical industry's bottom line . . . Blume's crucial history illustrates that vaccines have saved countless lives, but they must win the confidence of those who don't recognize their universal benefit.' - Publishers Weekly 'In his thought-provoking book, Stuart Blume carefully explains how exactly vaccines protect the human body, before going on to explore the worrying phenomenon that has come to be dubbed "vaccine hesitancy" - the reluctance of some parents to have their children vaccinated.' - Manjit Kumar, Prospect magazine
Book Information
ISBN 9781789145045
Author Stuart Blume
Format Paperback
Page Count 280
Imprint Reaktion Books
Publisher Reaktion Books
