Why is there such an active and ongoing resistance to mandatory vaccination? This book examines why vaccination as a public health measure continues to be highly controversial.
Objections to mandatory vaccination are widespread in the world today. Rather than being a new development, such objections have existed since vaccinations were first introduced. This book provides complete coverage of the history and background of vaccination issues in the United States and around the world, along with a detailed examination of the issues related to the use of vaccination today, and supplies readers with the necessary information to consider if the potential benefits of vaccination outweigh the risks.
Vaccination Controversies: A Reference Handbook overviews the scientific basis for and history of immunization as a method for protecting individuals against disease, along with a review of the social, political, and economic issues related to the use of immunization in both human and animal populations. The book debunks prevalent public health myths by clearly outlining the scientific consensus behind modern immunization regimes. Also included are profiles of important individuals and organizations within the history of vaccination, a chronology of important events, as well as pertinent reports, laws, and court decisions that give the reader a greater appreciation of the issues surrounding vaccination.
Contemporary World Issues
This award-winning series offers comprehensive, one-volume reference handbooks on important topics related to health, education, the environment, and social and ethical issues.
24-hour cable news. Millions of internet sites. Information overload. How can we sort through the information? Assess the analyses? Trust the sources?
A world of questions demands a library of answers.
Contemporary World Issues covers the controversial topics that students, readers, and citizens want to read about, write about, and know more about.
Features
Subject coverage spans six main categories:
- Criminal Justice
- Environment
- Gender and Ethnicity
- Politics, Law, and Government
- Science, Technology, and Medicine
- Society
Each volume offers a rich array of resources:
- A background and history essay that provides essential context and grounding for further study
- A balanced summary of ongoing controversies and proposed solutions that show numerous paths for further research on pressing, contemporary questions
- A forum of authoritative perspective essays by experts, offering a broad spectrum of arguments on the issues
- Carefully selected annotated documents, tables, and graphs that support statistical literacy and investigation of primary sources
- A chronology of events, legislation, and movements that place events in sequence and draw connections between them
- Annotated lists of print, web, and multimedia resources that power the next steps for in-depth research
- Profiles of key players and organizations
- A glossary of key terms