The Vaccine Controversy: The History, Use, and Safety of Vaccinations [Hardcover]

Kurt Link M.D. (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0275984729 | ISBN-13: 978-0275984724 | Publication Date: June 30, 2005 | Edition: 1

While millions of Americans receive vaccinations each year, a vocal segment of the population is opposed to all immunizations—some even refusing to get mandated vaccinations for their children. In The Vaccine Controversy, Dr. Kurt Link—a specialist in internal medicine—explores that paradox and provides a history of vaccine development, including such possible future vaccines as those being developed in the hope of immunizing against HIV. A strong supporter of vaccination programs, Link explains the immune system and how it works, as well as outlining the various types of vaccines (including the efficacy and potential toxicity of each). Appendices spell out current medical recommendations for vaccines, describe the legal issues involved in decisions to vaccinate or not, and explain the workings of clinical trials where work is done to determine if a vaccine is effective or not, or has any remarkable side effects.

Millions of Americans are vaccinated each year, whether they are elders looking to avoid bouts of influenza or children whose parents want to protect them from potentially deadly childhood diseases. Still, there remains a vocal segment of the population in opposition to all immunization, some even refusing to get mandated vaccinations for their children. Here, a specialist of internal medicine explores that paradox. Dr. Link explains the immune system and how it works, as well as the history of vaccine development, and the various types of vaccines including the efficacy and potential toxicity of each. A physician for more than 35 years, Link also spotlights possible future vaccines, such as those being developed in the hope of immunizing against HIV.

Appendices to this work spell out current medical recommendations for vaccines, describe the legal issues involved in decisions to vaccinate or not, and explain the workings of clinical trials where work is done to determine if a vaccine is effective or not, or has any remarkable side effects. A strong supporter of vaccination programs, Link says that all people should understand the powers, limitations and risk of immunization.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This concise book consists mainly of short (3- to 10-page) entries on both common and special vaccines, including all current vaccines and some under development. For each entry Link describes the disease agent and symptoms of illness; the history of the disease and vaccine development; and vaccine efficacy, safety, and side effects….It includes brief introductory chapters on the immune system, vaccine development and history, and disasters and near misses involving vaccinations, as well as appendixes on legal aspects of vaccination and clinical trials. Recommended. Undergraduates, professionals/practitioners, and general readers."

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Choice

Book Description

In The Vaccine Controversy, Dr. Kurt Link-a specialist in internal medicine and a strong supporter of vaccination programs-provides a comprehensive guide that outlines the various types of vaccines (including the efficacy and potential toxicity of each), provides a history of vaccine development (including such possible future vaccines as those being developed in the hope of immunizing against HIV), explains the immune system and how it works, plus much more.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: Praeger; 1 edition (June 30, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0275984729
• ISBN-13: 978-0275984724
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,360,613 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A guide to vaccines and why they should be used, August 22, 2006

By 

kohoutekdriver8 "kohoutekdriver8" (Midwest) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Vaccine Controversy: The History, Use, and Safety of Vaccinations (Hardcover)

Dr. Link gives an overview of the history of vaccination and immunization, and ethical issues raised by this. He also has a chapter devoted to known vaccine failures and worse; the best known was the Bundaberg disaster in Australia in the 1920s, involving a batch of bacteria-contaminated vaccine. There were also examples of polio vaccine that gave people polio, and hepatitis spread by smallpox vaccination.

He describes the diseases they prevent and what they did to people, since most of us have never known anyone who had some of them, and why people should or should not take the vaccine. He also debunks the vaccines-cause-autism thing, but does admit that the P component of the DPT vaccine does cause neurological damage in a small percentage of people who take it. This is well known in medical circles. There was considerable skepticism raised about the chicken pox vaccine; he saw no indication in giving it to healthy children, and I have to agree. There are also chapters about anthrax and smallpox vaccination and the problems that have arisen from them.

The back of the book has the suggested vaccine schedule; he also gives provisions for spreading them out should the parents wish to do so.

Some people may not agree with what he says, but he's old enough to have encountered many of the diseases nobody gets nowadays and that is his only agenda.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Comprehensive and concise, yet very readable, April 26, 2008

By 

Newton Ooi (Phoenix, Arizona United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Vaccine Controversy: The History, Use, and Safety of Vaccinations (Hardcover)

This book takes a survey-like look at the state of vaccines at the beginning of the 21st century, with each chapter focusing on one disease and the vaccines available for it. Each chapter is short, from 3 - 10 pages in length, and covers the history and science of that illness, and the history and science of the vaccines for it. The history portions of each chapter includes the source of the illness, its affect on human history, how it spreads, its symptoms, and biology. The vaccine portion includes a famous trials, and the names of the individuals, scientists and patients involved in making the vaccine(s). Most of the major infectious diseases are covered, such as polio, smallpox, chickenpox, and whooping cough. There are few exclusions, these primarily being the more recent ones, like the vaccine against cervical cancer. Another nice feature of the book are the appendices, which cover the legal aspects of vaccine usage, and how vaccines are tested in clinical trials. Overall, the book is quite complete, and quite readable for anyone with some science background. The only thing missing is a comprehensive timeline of events.