Vaccination: Examining the Facts

by Lisa Rosner

Overview

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781440877605
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	06/30/2022
Series:	Contemporary Debates
Pages:	232
Product dimensions:	6.30(w) x 9.50(h) x 0.70(d)
Age Range:	12 - 18 Years

About the Author

Lisa Rosner, PhD, is professor emerita of historical studies at Stockton University in Galloway, NJ.

Table of Contents

How to Use This Book ix

Introduction xi

1 How Do Vaccines Work? 1

Q1 Do vaccines prevent disease? 3

Q2 Do vaccines help strengthen the body's natural defenses? 8

Q3 Do vaccines cause side effects? 13

Q4 Can vaccines be produced for all diseases? 17

Q5 Can vaccines completely destroy the diseases they target? 22

Q6 Do vaccines exist for animals as well as people? 27

Q7 Are national and international vaccination efforts cost-effective in saving lives and preventing epidemics? 32

2 The COVID-19 Pandemic and Vaccine Development 39

Q8 Do we know where COVID-19 came from? 42

Q9 Were the COVID-19 vaccines entirely new products? 47

Q10 Did the severe impact of COVID-19 on global health speed up the process for developing vaccines? 51

Q11 Was it challenging for companies to create the COVID-19 vaccines so quickly? 57

Q12 Did rapid distribution of COVID-19 vaccines in the United States pose major challenges? 62

Q13 Did vaccine hesitancy interfere with COVID-19 vaccine distribution in the United States? 68

Q14 Did fraud and disinformation have an impact on COVID-19 vaccine distribution? 73

Q15 Did the spread of variant strains have an impact on the COVID-19 pandemic? 79

Q16 Were safe COVID-19 vaccines developed for children? 84

Q17 Were some countries especially effective at distributing COVID-19 vaccines? 89

Q18 Did some countries face major challenges in distributing COVID-19 vaccines? 95

Q19 Were global efforts undertaken to effectively distribute COVID-19 vaccines throughout the world? 100

3 Key Issues in Global Vaccination 107

Q20 Are vaccination efforts more effective in some parts of the world than others? 110

Q21 Are governments essential in making vaccines effective, safe, and accessible? 115

Q22 Are philanthropic organizations involved in making vaccines safe, effective, and accessible around the world? 121

Q23 Do armed conflicts make it harder for people to get vaccinated? 126

Q24 Are there global efforts to prevent crimes associated with vaccines? 132

Q25 Are there ongoing efforts to promote vaccine awareness? 137

4 Vaccination Controversies 143

Q26 Are vaccine misinformation and disinformation dangerous? 145

Q27 Do conspiracy theories exist about vaccines? 151

Q28 Do vaccines cause Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)? 156

Q29 Can vaccination be made compulsory? 161

Q30 Can teenagers get vaccinated without parental consent? 166

Q31 Can vaccination be required in health care settings? 171

Q32 Can consumers bring legal action against vaccine manufacturers? 176

5 Vaccines for a Healthier Future 183

Q33 Is it possible to increase vaccination worldwide and decrease the risk of vaccine-preventable diseases? 185

Q34 Can we prepare in advance to provide vaccines for emerging infectious diseases? 190

Q35 Can we better protect health care personnel, facilities, and vaccine supply chains during pandemic conditions? 195

Q36 Can we build higher levels of confidence in the safety and efficacy of vaccines? 200

Index 207