New Book: Vaccines Have Always Had Haters
That's one of the themes in the new book 'Between Hope and Fear: A History of Vaccines and Human Immunity.'
Vaccinations have saved millions, maybe billions, of lives, says Michael Kinch, associate vice chancellor and director of the Center for Research Innovation in Business at Washington University in St. Louis. Those routine shots every child is expected to get can fill parents with hope that they're protecting their children from serious diseases.
But vaccines also inspire fear that something could go terribly wrong. That's why Kinch's new book is aptly named: Between Hope and Fear: A History of Vaccines and Human Immunity.
He wrote it, he says, to present the science behind vaccines and to highlight the fallacy of anti-vaccine movements. about vaccines. This interview has been edited for clarity and length.
