Play Audiobook Sample
Booster Shots: The Urgent Lessons of Measles and the Uncertain Future of Children's Health Audiobook
Play Audiobook Sample
(0.00) - 0 listener ratings
Quick Stats About this Audiobook
Total Audiobook Chapters:
Longest Chapter Length:
Shortest Chapter Length:
Average Chapter Length:
Audiobooks by this Author:
Publisher Description
A pediatrician and infectious disease specialist warns of the resurgence of measles, the antivaccine movement, and how we can prepare for the next pandemic
Every single child diagnosed with measles represents a system failure—an inexcusable unforced error. The technology to prevent essentially 100 percent of measles cases has been in our hands since before the moon landing. But this serious airborne disease, once seemingly defeated, is resurgent around the globe. Why, at a time when biomedical science is so advanced, do parents turn away from vaccination, endangering their own children and the health of the wider population?
Using a combination of patient narrative, historical analysis, and scientific research, Dr. Adam Ratner, pediatrician and infectious disease specialist, argues that the reawakening of measles and the subsequent coronavirus pandemic are bellwethers of forgotten knowledge—indicators of decaying trust in science and an underfunded public health infrastructure. Our collective amnesia is starkly revealed in the growth of the antivaccine movement and the missteps in our responses to the beginning of the coronavirus outbreak, leading to preventable tragedies in both cases.
Trust in medicine and public health is at a nadir. Declining vaccine confidence threatens a global reemergence of other vaccine-preventable diseases in the coming years. Ratner details how solving these problems requires the use of literal and figurative “booster shots” to gather new knowledge and retain the crucial lessons of the past. Learning—and remembering—these lessons is our best hope for preparing for the next pandemic. With attention and care and the tools we already have, we can make the world much safer for children tomorrow than it is today.
Download and start listening now!
"Not only have we largely eliminated measles from the United States, we’ve eliminated the memory of measles. As a result, measles is coming back. Weaving historical events with personal experiences, Dr. Ratner makes us remember, telling us exactly what is at stake if we continue along this path. A fascinating read—Booster Shots is a call to arms in a troubled time."
— Paul A. Offit, MD, author of Tell Me When It’s Over
Quotes
-
A fast-paced, riveting, tour-de-force bursting with humanity, history, and expertise. Booster Shots reveals what measles teaches us about ourselves and our future. I couldn't put it down.
— Matt McCarthy, MD, author of the international bestseller Superbugs -
In many parts of the world, we are seeing the return of measles because of interruptions in childhood immunization programs, but also because parents are refusing to vaccinate their children. In Booster Shots, pediatric infectious disease expert Dr. Ratner informs us on what we must do to get back on track, and the potential for global eradication.
— Peter Hotez, MD, PhD, Director, Center for Vaccine Development, Texas Children's Hospital -
Not only have we largely eliminated measles from the United States, we’ve eliminated the memory of measles. As a result, measles is coming back. Weaving historical events with personal experiences, Dr. Ratner makes us remember, telling us exactly what is at stake if we continue along this path. A fascinating read—Booster Shots is a call to arms in a troubled time.
— Paul A. Offit, MD, author of Tell Me When It’s Over -
“Booster Shots is at once a history of measles, a story of vaccine development, and a guide for approaching vaccine-hesitant parents who only want what’s best for their vulnerable children—in short, an immensely valuable read!
— David Oshinsky, author of Polio and Bellevue -
Not only have we largely eliminated measles from the United States, we’ve eliminated the memory of measles. As a result, measles is coming back. Weaving historical events with personal experiences, Dr. Ratner makes us remember, telling us exactly what is at stake if we continue along this path. A fascinating read—Booster Shots is a call to arms in a troubled time.
— Paul A. Offit, MD, author of Tell Me When It’s Over"A brilliant book, opening up the secrets of the measles virus to yield revelations about sickness and immunity, science and society, and offering urgent lessons for the world we live in today. Dr. Ratner brings together compelling stories from laboratory science and medical history with experiences from his own pediatric practice caring for children in epidemics from recent measles outbreaks to COVID -19." -
A masterful history of both grand and intimate scale, Dr. Ratner details how we reached a point of extraordinary scientific achievement and painful systemic distrust, making a forceful case for the path forward, across politics, public health, and patient care.
— Chelsea Clinton -
“In many parts of the world, we are seeing the return of measles because of interruptions in childhood immunization programs, but also because parents are refusing to vaccinate their children. In Booster Shots, pediatric infectious disease expert Dr. Ratner informs us on what we must do to get back on track, and the potential for global eradication.
— Peter Hotez, MD, PhD, Director, Center for Vaccine Development, Texas Children's Hospital"A brilliant book, opening up the secrets of the measles virus to yield revelations about sickness and immunity, science and society, and offering urgent lessons for the world we live in today. Dr. Ratner brings together compelling stories from laboratory science and medical history with experiences from his own pediatric practice caring for children in epidemics from recent measles outbreaks to COVID -19. -
Ratner provides fascinating scientific insight into measles, explaining how the virus induces a kind of immunological amnesia by targeting immune cells responsible for remembering how to counteract previously encountered viruses, and he makes a strong case that health depends on much more than biology. This will open readers’ eyes.
— Publishers Weekly (starred review) -
Ratner closes by arguing that good science-based education should be put to work to supplant bad information and bad intentions...An intriguing look at the costs to children's health.
— Kirkus Reviews
Booster Shots Listener Reviews
Be the first to write a review about this audiobook!