Herding Immunity: The Startling History of Life Before and After Vaccines

(Hardback)

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A look at the long history of vaccines, yesterday, today and still to come.
In Herding Immunity, Stacy Mintzer Herlihy explores the compelling history of vaccines and the equally long history of vaccination opposition. By connecting the contemporary anti-vax movement with its historical roots, Herlihy integrates modern conversations and reveals the profound impact vaccines have had on our society, highlighting the urgent need for societal change to ensure equitable vaccination for all.

Reviews

In Herding Immunity, the public health writer, journalist, and advocate, Stacy Mintzer Herlihy tells the fascinating story of the history of vaccines in America. She reminds us how antivaccine activism is not new and even goes back to time of the founding colonies, but then takes us through a golden era when parents saw polio and other vaccines as miracle interventions. However, the last couple of decades have not always been kind to vaccines or the scientists who invented them, explaining in a straightforward way how vaccines became falsely linked to autism and other conditions, and the harassment that some of us in the scientific community have endured especially during the COVID pandemic. It is an excellent summary, an easy read, and one which I think will find a wide audience. -- Peter Hotez, professor of Pediatrics and Molecular Virology & Microbiology, co-director of the Texas Childrens Hospital Center for Vaccine Development, dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine
The campaign to vaccinate against Covid-19 wasnt the first to encounter a tidal wave of disinformation, although outlets like X and Facebook have proven ideal media for stirring confusion and panic. This well-written, timely and useful book provides historical context, reminds us of what vaccines have achieved and points to their continual promise in our battles with disease. -- Arthur Allen, author of Vaccine: The Controversial Story of Medicines Greatest Lifesaver

Author Bio

Stacy Mintzer Herlihy is a freelance writer and public health advocate based in New Jersey. Herlihy is a Shot@Life Champion and founder of New Jersey Parents For Vaccines. Herlihys books include Your Babys Best Shot: Why Vaccines are Safe and Save Lives (Rowman & Littlefield, 2012), which was a finalist for Foreword Reviews Book of the Year, Teens and Smoking: Your Questions Answered (2020), and Corporations That Changed the World: Disney (2022).