Vaccines: What Every Parent Should Know

by Paul A. Offit, Louis M. Bell Jr.

Here is a straightforward presentation of the facts surrounding the controversial topic of vaccines, a book that confused and worried parents can turn to for answers and reassurance. Most parents have questions about vaccines that doctors are too busy to answer, and too many parents, as a result, are not having their child vaccinated at all, thus putting them at risk. This timely book answers such questions as:

Aren't most of these diseases eliminated anyway? Should my child have the new chicken pox vaccine? Could my baby get a bad batch of the vaccine and end up getting infected? Comprehensive information on the history of vaccines, the diseases that can be controlled through vaccination, and the risks and benefits associated with each vaccine will help parents decide whether or not to have their children vaccinated and which vaccines to approve. With this essential resource, parents can make the right decisions for their childrens' health and safety. New! In September 2000, Paul is launching a vaccine education page on the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia website. Check it out!

Genres: Parenting, Medicine, Health, Vaccines, Nonfiction

248 pages, Paperback

First published February 7, 1998

About the author

Paul A. Offit, MD is the Chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases and the Director of the Vaccine Education Center at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Dr. Offit is also the Maurice R. Hilleman Professor of Vaccinology, and a Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. He is a recipient of many awards including the J. Edmund Bradley Prize for Excellence in Pediatrics bestowed by the University of Maryland Medical School, the Young Investigator Award in Vaccine Development from the Infectious Disease Society of America, and a Research Career Development Award from the National Institutes of Health.

Dr. Paul A. Offit has published more than 130 papers in medical and scientific journals in the areas of rotavirus-specific immune responses and vaccine safety. He is also the co-inventor of the rotavirus vaccine, RotaTeq, recently recommended for universal use in infants by the CDC; for this achievement Dr. Offit received the Gold Medal from the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and the Jonas Salk Medal from the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology.

Dr Paul Offit was also a member of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and is the author of multiple books.

from www.paul-offit.com

Reviews

[D. Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am adding this and a few other books that I have been perusing and using as references throughout the year. I skimmed parts that I felt I already knew about, and skipped around in it when I was trying to learn about a particular vaccine.

Offit and his co-author do a fine job giving a history and description of vaccines and why they are a good idea, not just for communities, but for you and your kids. It's not easy to translate scientific literature and experiments into plain, honest English, and that's what they do.

If you are anti-vaccine, or are scared enough about vaccines to avoid giving them to your children, this might not be the best book to start with. I got it for free at a hospital, so... A better introductory book might be "Bad Science" by Ben Goldacre, but if you happen to see a copy of Offit's book lying around at a pediatricians office you should grab it and take a look.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit dated, but a good general resource for medically sound, evidence-backed information about vaccines. The authors manage to distill complex biological processes into understandable explanations for the lay person of how vaccines are made and how they work in the body to protect against disease without oversimplifying. I particularly liked learning about the different ways vaccines are made using different parts of the virus, toxins or proteins. Each vaccine is provided a chapter which summarizes main points about the disease and the vaccine, including the history and risks of both the disease and the vaccine, and contraindications and efficacy of the vaccines.

This book doesn't include the most recent additions like HPV, the current rotavirus vaccine or the nasal spray seasonal flu vaccine. And it's not page-turning, edge-of-your-seat reading, but it's not supposed to be. The authors are obviously (from the book jacket) participants in an evidence-based medical profession and definitely write from that perspective. They also devote a whole section to laying common myths and unfounded concerns about vaccines to rest (old standbys like vaccines weaken the immune system, infants are too young/get too many shots, vaccines cause autism/diabetes/cancer).

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[Claire Noonan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A valuable book that needs to be updated with each change of the immunisation schedule. If it was current I would buy multiple copies to lend to patients.

[Paige · Rating 2 out of 5]

Seemed to be pretty pro-vaccine. Not helpful in making a choice on whether to vaccinate or not.