Vaccines

Watch

• How do vaccines work? - Kelwalin Dhanasarnsombut ↗TED-Ed
• How we conquered the deadly smallpox virus - Simona Zompi ↗TED-Ed
• What I learned from parents who don't vaccinate their kids | Jennifer Reich | TEDxMileHigh ↗TEDx Talks
• Why children get so many vaccines ↗Vox
• The origins of the anti-vaccine movement ↗Vox
• The Side Effects of Vaccines - How High is the Risk? ↗Kurzgesagt – In a Nutshell

Read

• Vaccinated: One Man's Quest to Defeat the World's Deadliest Diseases ↗A compelling narrative charting the scientific breakthroughs and personal sacrifices behind humanity's most potent defence against infectious disease.Paul A. Offit
• The Vaccine Race: Science, Politics, and the Human Costs of Defeating Disease ↗An illuminating account of the intense scientific and ethical struggles that underpinned the development of a crucial childhood vaccine.Meredith Wadman
• Deadly Choices: How the Anti-Vaccine Movement Threatens Us All ↗A trenchant analysis of the historical roots and contemporary dangers posed by vaccine misinformation and public health scepticism.Paul A. Offit
• Vaccine Hesitancy: Moving Beyond the RhetoricA critical review dissecting the complex social and psychological factors that contribute to declining vaccine acceptance globally.Heidi J. Larson, et al.
• Smallpox: the once and future threat ↗A concise, authoritative retrospective on the monumental achievement of smallpox eradication and its enduring lessons for global health security.D.A. Henderson

Voices to follow

• Paul Offit ↗A tireless advocate for vaccine science, he is renowned for his robust defence of immunisation against misinformation.Pediatrician, vaccinologist, and author; Professor at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
• Kizzmekia Corbett ↗As a key architect of mRNA vaccine technology, her work exemplifies the rapid innovation driving modern vaccinology.Viral immunologist, scientific lead for mRNA vaccine development at Moderna
• Peter Hotez ↗He champions vaccine development for neglected diseases and robustly counters anti-science rhetoric, particularly concerning global health equity.Pediatrician, vaccinologist, and author; Dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine
• Helen Branswell ↗Her authoritative reporting offers critical, nuanced perspectives on the complex interplay of vaccine science, public health, and policy.Senior writer, infectious diseases and public health, STAT

Glossary

• AntibodySpecial proteins made by your immune system that act like tiny, specific "keys" to lock onto and neutralize specific "germs" or parts of them. They help your body fight off infections. For example, after getting a measles vaccine, your body produces antibodies that specifically target and destroy the measles virus if it ever tries to infect you.
• AntigenA tiny part of a germ (like a specific protein or sugar) that your immune system recognizes as foreign and learns to fight against. Vaccines often contain antigens to teach your body without causing sickness. For example, a flu vaccine contains antigens from the flu virus, which are harmless pieces that train your immune system to recognize and attack the actual virus if you encounter it.
• Booster ShotAn extra dose of a vaccine given after the initial vaccination to "boost" or strengthen your immunity over time. It reminds your immune system how to fight the germ. For example, you might get a tetanus booster shot every few years to make sure your body's protection against tetanus remains strong.
• DiseaseA specific illness or condition that makes your body or mind not work properly, often caused by germs, genetics, or lifestyle. Vaccines help prevent many infectious diseases. For example, measles is a highly contagious disease caused by a virus, leading to a rash, fever, and other symptoms.
• GermsTiny living things, like viruses or bacteria, that can enter your body and make you sick. They are also called pathogens. For example, the flu virus is a type of germ that causes the common flu, making you feel tired and feverish.
• Herd ImmunityThis is when a large enough part of a community is immune to a disease (usually through vaccination), making it much harder for the disease to spread and protecting even those who aren't immune. It's like a protective shield for everyone. For example, if almost everyone in a school is vaccinated against measles, it creates herd immunity, protecting babies or students with weak immune systems who can't get the vaccine themselves.
• Immune SystemThis is your body's natural defense team, made up of special cells and organs that work together to find and destroy harmful germs, keeping you healthy. It's like your body's personal army. For example, when you get a cut, your immune system sends white blood cells to fight off any germs that might try to enter your body through the wound.
• ImmunityThis is your body's ability to protect itself from getting sick from certain germs or diseases. Once you have immunity, your body remembers how to fight off that specific illness. For example, if you get the chickenpox vaccine, your body develops immunity, meaning you're much less likely to catch chickenpox later on.
• InfectionThis happens when harmful germs enter your body, multiply, and start to cause damage, making you feel unwell. It's when the germs successfully invade. For example, if you eat food contaminated with certain bacteria, you might get a stomach infection, leading to pain and sickness.
• Side EffectsThese are usually mild and temporary reactions your body might have after getting a vaccine, like a sore arm, slight fever, or feeling tired, as your immune system learns to respond. They show the vaccine is working. For example, after getting a flu shot, you might have a slightly sore arm for a day or two, which is a common side effect.
• VaccineA special medicine, usually given as a shot, that teaches your body how to fight off specific germs (like viruses or bacteria) before you actually get sick. It's like a practice drill for your immune system. For example, the polio vaccine protects you from getting polio, a serious disease, by training your body to recognize and destroy the polio virus.

Threads 5

Where this connects to other fields, and why it's worth knowing.

• Slavery, Race & Rights History

  America learned a life-saving trick from an enslaved African named Onesimus, who described how his home region protected people from smallpox. That method paved the way for modern vaccines. The knowledge that saved countless lives came from a man denied his own freedom.

• The Math Behind Machine Learning Mathematics

  A vaccine works exactly like teaching an AI. You show a computer one labeled example of a cat so it can spot cats it's never seen; a vaccine shows your immune system one harmless sample of a virus so it can recognize the real thing, even new variants, later.

• Cognitive Biases Psychology

  Our brains fear harm we cause more than bigger harm we allow. A rare vaccine side effect feels scarier than the disease it prevents, even when the disease is far more dangerous. That mental glitch, called omission bias, quietly drives a lot of vaccine hesitancy, not simple ignorance.

• Game Theory & Strategy Mathematics

  If almost everyone around you gets a shot, a disease can't spread, so you're safe even if you skip it. That tempts each person to let others take the tiny risk while they coast for free. But when too many think that way, not enough people get protected, and the disease never quite dies out.

• Business Models Business

  A vaccine is amazing medicine: one shot and you're often protected for years. But that's terrible business, you only sell it once. So the market keeps underfunding the very things that could stop the next pandemic.