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Paul A. Offit and Charlotte A. Moser answer questions about the science and safety of modern vaccines. In straightforward prose, they explain how vaccines work, how they are made, and how they are tested. Most important, they separate the real risks of vaccines from feared but unfounded risks.
Offit and Moser address parental fears that children may receive too many vaccines too early, that the HPV vaccine may cause chronic fatigue or other dangerous side effects, that additives and preservatives in vaccines cause autism, and that vaccines might do more harm than good. There couldn't be a better moment or more pressing need for this book, which offers honesty—instead of hype—in the quest to protect children's health.
Columbia University Press
Paul Offit, M.D., and Charlotte Moser of the Vaccine Education center come together to provide a great deal of useful information. Vaccines and Your Child is a scholarly and much needed read for any concerned parent.
The perfect book for parents seeking accurate and detailed vaccine information.
This new book is a valuable resource for all parents concerned about the health of their child. Vaccines and Your Child makes it easier than ever for parents to wade through the abundance of information about vaccines, setting the story straight about vaccine safety.
Questions Parents have about Vaccines
General
What are vaccines? 3
Why do we still need vaccines? 5
How do vaccines work? 8
How are vaccines made? 10
What steps do pharmaceutical companies go through make vaccines? 14
Who recommends vaccines? 16
How do we know vaccines work? 17
Are vaccine-preventable diseases really that bad? 18
Isn't it better to be naturally infected than immunized? 20
Are vaccines given on a one-size-fits-all schedule? 21
Is there any harm in using an alternative schedule? 23
Why can't vaccines be combined to lessen the number of shots? 25
Why aren't more vaccines given by mouth? 26
Can I avoid vaccines by living a healthy lifestyle? 26
Why should I trust a system that makes money for companies? 27
Should vaccines be mandated? 28
Is it my social responsibility to get vaccines? 30
Safety
Are vaccines safe? 34
How do I know if a problem is caused by vaccines? 35
What systems are in place to ensure that vaccines are safe? 37
How do we know that different vaccines can be given at the same time? 40
Do too many vaccines overwhelm the immune system? 40
Do too many vaccines weaken the immune system? 44
Do too many vaccines cause chronic diseases? 45
Do vaccines cause autism? 48
Do vaccines cause allergies and asthma? 53
Do vaccines cause cancer? 56
Do vaccines cause diabetes? 59
Do vaccines cause mad cow disease? 61
Do vaccines cause multiple sclerosis? 62
Do vaccines cause Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)? 64
Are there "hot lots" of vaccines? 65
Is the Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System (VAERS) a good way to tell whether a vaccine is harmful? 66
Are package inserts useful? 68
How do I sort out good from bad information about vaccines? 69
Ingredients
Do vaccines contain products to which children could be allergic? 71
Do vaccines contain harmful preservatives like mercury? 76
Do vaccines contain harmful adjuvants like aluminum? 79
Do vaccines contain harmful chemicals like formaldehyde? 82
Do vaccines contain ether or antifreeze? 84
Are vaccines made using aborted fetal cells? 85
Do vaccines contain products from animals? 87
Practical Considerations
How do I deal with my child's fear of shots? 89
What can I do to make the vaccine visit less stressful? 90
Who shouldn't get vaccines? 91
Can I vaccinate my child if he is ill? 92
Can I vaccinate my premature baby? 93
Can I vaccinate my child if he's taking steroids? 95
Can I receive a vaccine if I'm pregnant? 96
Can I vaccinate my child if I'm breastfeeding? 98
What if my child inadvertently gets an extra dose of vaccine? 99
What if my child inadvertently misses a dose of vaccine? 99
Can I vaccinate my child if someone in the home is immune compromised? 100
Do vaccines given in countries from which children are adopted still count? 100
Individual Vaccines
Vaccines in the First Year of Life
Hepatitis B 105
Diphtheria, Tetanus, and Pertussis 112
Pneumococcus 127
Rotavirus 134
Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) 141
Polio 148
Influenza 154
Vaccines in the Second Year of Life
Measles, Mumps, and Rubella 165
Chickenpox 178
Hepatitis A 188
Vaccines for Adolescents and Teens
Meningococcus 195
Human Papillomavirus 205
The Vaccine Schedule
Vaccine Schedule and Combination Vaccines 213
Why this schedule? 216
Changes to the Schedule 217
Catch-up Schedule 219
Appendices
Vaccine Records 221
A Note About Registries 222
Selected Reading 227
About the Authors 229
Index 231
Overview
Paul A. Offit and Charlotte A. Moser answer questions about the science and safety of modern vaccines. In straightforward prose, they explain how vaccines work, how they are made, and how they are tested. Most important, they separate the real risks of vaccines from feared but unfounded risks.
Offit and Moser address parental fears that children may receive too many vaccines too early, that the HPV vaccine may cause chronic fatigue or other dangerous side effects, that additives...