Recounting the social, cultural, and scientific history of vaccines, Vaccines: A Biography traces the lineage-the 'biography'-of individual vaccines, originating with deeply rooted medical problems, following ideas as they are conceived and developed, leading eventually to practical, preventive solutions to major public health problems in society. Yet these are not 'biographies' in the traditional sense; they do not trace an individual's growth and development. These are epic stories of discovery, of risk-takers. They have all the trappings of fiction: strong protagonists who succeed against sometimes great odds, interpersonal conflicts, deceit, political intrigue, ethical dilemmas, and dramatic, if not staged events.

Measles was an early target for vaccine development because of the high morbidity and mortality associated with infection. Introduction of this vaccine has dramatically decreased the incidence of measles and deaths due to measles in many countries. Since

DNA vaccination is one of the most promising techniques for immunization against diseases caused by viruses, protozoa, bacteria, and even for tumors and illnesses with genetic origins. These vaccines can be administered by direct inoculation of plasmid by several routes. In this book, the authors present topical research in the study of the types, advantages and limitations of DNA vaccines.

This book is meant to provide a complete overview of the research of HPV and its connection to cervical cancer.

Simply, and with great humanity, The Eradication of Smallpox tells the story of smallpox - it's origins, the horror of the disease, and the millions of people killed or disfigured by it.

The national immunization system has achieved high levels of immunization, particularly for children. However, this system faces difficult challenges for the future. Significant disparities remain in assuring access to recommended vaccines across geographic and demographic populations. These disparities result, in part, from fragmented public-private financing in which a large number of children and adults face limited access to immunization services. Access for adults lags well behind that of children, and rates of immunizations for those who are especially vulnerable because of chronic health conditions such as diabetes or heart and lung disease, remain low.

At the turn of the twenty-first century, the United States contended with a state-run biological warfare program, bioterrorism, and a pandemic. Together, these threats spurred large-scale government demand for new vaccines, but few have materialized. A new anthrax vaccine has been a priority since the first Gulf War, but twenty years and a billion dollars later, the United States still does not have one. This failure is startling. Historically, the United States has excelled at responding to national health emergencies. World War II era programs developed ten new or improved vaccines, often in time to meet the objectives of particular military missions. Probing the history of vaccine development for factors that foster timely innovation, Kendall Hoyt discovered that vaccine innovation has been falling, not rising, since World War II.

This volume is focused on the development of vaccines which generate immune effectors capable of blocking mucosal entry or peripheral pathogen spread.

The history of vaccines now goes back over 300 years to the work of Jenner but the last 50 years have seen an enormous acceleration of the pace of vaccine development and, accordingly, the impact on infectious diseases. However, no vaccine development has been easy and there is an interesting story attached to each.

This volume emphasizes that vaccination is always both a matter of individual and community protection, and that massive public health efforts are often needed to control infectious diseases in the most effective manner.