History of Vaccines Blog

The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared vaccine hesitancy as one of the top ten global health priorities for 2019. The reasons why there is so much vaccine are complex, and they vary from country to country and even within countries. So what could be done? A lot, actually. We'll see what public health can come up with to face this threat... Read More...

This is the second part of a series of explainers looking at what vaccines have done to and for human populations since their invention in the late 1700's. (Click here for part one.) In this second part, we talk about a few simple concepts that are necessary to understand how vaccines work. We review virology, bacteriology, immunology, chemistry, toxicology and the basic reproduction number. It's about 20 minutes. Read More...

I've decided to create a very simple and quick series on the epidemiology of vaccines. That is, the study of how vaccines have affected populations. Here is the first video, with more coming soon. Read More...

A lot has changed since the Influenza Pandemic of 1918, but did you know that it lasted well into 1919? Read on to see how that went and what we're doing in 2019 to keep ahead of influenza... Read More...

As long as there has been vaccination, there has been an anti-vaccine movement. Here is a quick primer on how such a movement arose. Read More...

It's that time of the week again, where we gather news from around the world and deliver them to you. So sit back, relax, and read happily. Read More...

Today's blog post is a guest post by Margot Smith, DrPH. In it, Dr. Smith tells us about important moments in vaccine history. Dr. Smith "is a retired social scientist who currently lives in Berkeley, California, where she actively advocates for universal health care and economic justice. She received her doctorate from the UCB School of Public Health in 1977 and worked for the State Department of Health Services. In retirement, she produced award winning videos on political and social justice issues. She has 4 children, 6 grandchildren and 2 great-grandchildren. Her social science articles may be seen at ResearchGate.com, and her videos at OffCenterVideo.com." Read More...

In this week's compendium, measles in Florida and New York, Hepatitis A in Illinois, three new Ebola vaccines show promise, and The Hulk had a reaction to a vaccine... Read More...

Animal health and human health go hand-in-hand, especially now that humans are encroaching more and more into the habitats of wild animals. Watch as these scientists immunize some seals against morbillivirus, a virus that may one reach the seals in Hawaii. Read More...

In a time when news and opinions go around the world at the speed of light, who makes sure that lies and misinformation are not being disseminated? We know that editorial boards and their members make sure that traditional and established media publish the truth and are corrected if a mistake happens, but who would serve in that role when it comes to opinions? And what kind of “editing,” if any, should they do? Read More...