Vaccines

by Naff, Clay Farris

• ISBN13: 9780737719697
• ISBN10: 0737719699
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2004-09-01
• Publisher: Greenhaven Pr

Summary

Fulfills the standards; "Life Science" and "Science and Technology" from the national Science Education Standards for Grades 5-8. Fulfills the standards: "Comprehend concepts related to health promotion and disease prevention," "Students will demonstrate the ability to access valid health," and "Students will demonstrate the ability to practice health enhancing behaviors and reduce health risks" from the National Health Education Standards for Middle School.

Table of Contents

Foreword	13	(3)
Introduction: Vaccines: Preventing Disease but Not Controversy	16	(18)
Chapter 1: The Development of Vaccines
1. A Brief History of the War Against Infectious Disease by Joshua Lederberg	34	(12)
The history of the fight against contagious maladies does not necessarily dictate the way disease will be dealt with in the future.
2. Life Before Preventative Medicine by Christine A. Smith	46	(13)
Lacking any knowledge of germs, the ancients had no idea how to cope with the rapid spread of infectious diseases. Plagues in the Greek and Roman world were seen as divine punishments-uncontrollable events that had to be patiently endured.
3. Early Efforts to Inoculate by Christopher S.W. Koehler
Long before microbes were found to be the cause of infectious diseases, some cultures developed primitive vaccines against smallpox. One method of early inoculation was to introduce a weak strain of the disease into a healthy person, who could then build up immunity.
4. Inoculating Against Smallpox by Edward Jenner	59	(7)
The eighteenth-century British physician records his observations and experiments on the prevention of smallpox by inoculating with a related disease known as variola or cowpox.
5. Louis Pasteur and the Causes of Infection by René Dubos	66	(12)
The French scientist Pasteur proved that diseases were caused and spread by microorganisms. With this knowledge he went on to successfully combat anthrax and rabies.
6. The Modern Vista of Vaccines by the National Immunization Program	78	(6)
Vaccines have transformed the public health landscape in America and many other countries. Diseases that in the past routinely killed many children can now be prevented.
Chapter 2: Milestones in Disease Prevention
1. Conquering Polio by Jane S. Smith	84	(11)
Polio, a crippling disease caused by a virus, once claimed tens of thousands of American victims each year. Then, in the early 1950's, Jonas Salk, an American scientist, developed a killed-virus vaccine that all but eliminated the dreadful threat in the developed world.
2. Finding a Vaccine for Hepatitis B by Baruch S. Blumberg	95	(10)
A Nobel laureate tells of his search for a virus known to damage the liver and the effort to create a vaccine to prevent it.
3. Smallpox Eradicated Through Global Use of Vaccine by Frank Fenner	105	(7)
For centuries, smallpox had been one of the terrible plagues afflicting humankind. A prizewinning member of the team that guided its eradication in 1980 recalls the steps that led to his involvement in that successful global campaign.
4. Beating Back Measles by C.A. de Quadros et al.	112	(7)
A campaign to eradicate measles from the Americas has not completely eliminated the childhood disease, but it has achieved enough success to become a model for the rest of the world.
5. A Vaccine for Chicken Pox by the World Health Organization	119	(8)
Chicken pox is a viral disease that used to strike just about every child. Now that a vaccine is available, leading international health experts say it should be widely used.
Chapter 3: Setbacks and Controversies
1. An Overview of Safety Issues by the National Immunization Program	127	(9)
Vaccines, like other medicines, carry risks. Though the vast majority of people experience only mild reactions to vaccination, in some cases the consequences are tragic.
2. Barriers to the Development of New Vaccines by Shannon Brownlee	136	(5)
Many pharmaceutical companies are hesitant to invest in the manufacture of new vaccines. This is chiefly because only one in a hundred new vaccines makes it through the costly trials to receive government approval.
3. Vaccinating the Armed Forces Against Anthrax Is Risky by Garth L. Nicolson, Meryl Nass, and Nancy L. Nicolson	141	(10)
In 1999, the U.S. military ordered all its active personnel to undergo vaccination against anthrax as a defense against bioweapons. Not everyone, however, is convinced of the vaccine's effectiveness or its safety.
4. Vaccinating the Armed Forces Against Anthrax Is Safe by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration	151	(6)
Reviewing past and present studies, the U.S. government finds that the anthrax vaccine mandated for members of the armed forces is safe and effective.
5. Concerns Within the Catholic Church by Edward J. Furton	157	(5)
Some members of the Catholic Church have objected to their children being inoculated with vaccines that have a link to fetal tissues from abortion. These concerns may be set aside since there is a stronger moral imperative to vaccinate the young.
6. The Risks of Letting People Opt Out by Carolyn Poirot	162	(4)
State legislation allows parents in Texas to object to having their children vaccinated. Doctors worry that such children will be at considerable risk of serious disease.
7. Online Campaigns Against Vaccines by Laeth Nasir	166	(6)
Antivaccination Web sites are proliferating on the Internet. Many of these sites are run by advocates of alternative medicine or those who believe forced inoculation is an infringement of civil liberties.
Chapter 4: Future Prospects and Challenges
1. The Plight of Poor Countries in the Vaccine Marketplace by Henry Wilde	172	(5)
Although many diseases can be controlled through inoculation, less-developed countries-where disease spreads easily-cannot afford the expensive vaccines manufactured by wealthier nations.
2. Vaccines Stage a Comeback by Michael D. Lemonick and Alice Park	177	(7)
A terrifying series of deadly anthrax mailings in 2001 brought vaccines back into the public eye. Other mod-ern threats-such as HIV-are also prompting this vaccine renaissance.
3. Meeting the Challenge of Bioterrorism by Philip K. Russell	184	(6)
New concerns about old diseases have arisen with the growing prospect of bioterrorism. In America, a spate of deadly anthrax attacks has raised alarms about an even more frightening killer once thought to be gone forever: smallpox.
4. The Campaign to Vanquish Polio by the United Nations Foundation	190	(6)
Polio continues to cripple and kill in some parts of the world. The United Nations and other international organizations have banded together in an effort to make the world free of this viral scourge.
5. Opposition to Polio Vaccinations by John Donnelly	196	(6)
Muslim leaders in Nigeria believe that the United States is hostile toward the Islamic world. The result has been fierce resistance to the U.S.-led campaign to inoculate children against the crippling disease.
6. Enlisting Vaccines to Battle Cancer by the National Cancer Institute	202	(8)
Traditional approaches to treating cancer often have debilitating side effects and a high failure rate. Researchers hope that vaccines will at least help to prevent recurrences of cancer after radiation or chemotherapy.
7. A New Frontier: DNA Vaccines by Robert G. Whalen	210	(6)
Pioneers in DNA research have found that fragments of genetic material extracted from germs can make safe and effective vaccines.
8. New Delivery Systems: Vaccines You Can Eat by Mandy Redig	216	(6)
Huge logistical obstacles stand in the way of immunizing millions of children in developing countries. Biologists are working on a plan to genetically engineer some crops to contain vaccines that can then be shipped to the children and eaten.
Chronology	222	(4)
For Further Research	226	(5)
Index	231