A History of Vaccines and their Opponents

The coronavirus pandemic that began in 2019 brought to the fore the presence of a significant minority of individuals who strongly oppose vaccination. This opposition is by no means recent. Ever since the very first attempts to immunize individuals, opposition has been intense in some societies. The reasons for this opposition range from religious to political to medical. Although vaccines have eliminated smallpox and largely eliminated polio and measles, opposition to vaccination persists and, in some countries, has grown stronger.A History of Vaccines and Their Opponents seeks to describe the history of this opposition as well as its changing rationale over the years and in different societies. The discussion may ultimately provide some suggestions for reducing hesitancy in the future. - Demonstrates vaccine hesitancy is not new and is widespread around the world - Presents the history of the opposition to immunization - Provides counterarguments to the opposition today

Ian R. Tizard, BVMS, BSc, PhD, DSc (Hons), DACVM, is a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Microbiologists and a University Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Immunology, Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, The Texas Veterinary Medical Center at Texas A &M University (TAMU), College Station, Texas, USA. Dr. Tizard earned his Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine and Surgery from the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1965. He then completed a Bachelor of Science in Pathology and a PhD in Immunology. After completing his studies, Dr. Tizard became a Post-Doctoral Fellow at the University of Guelph, where he remained as a professor until 1982 when he moved to TAMU. Dr. Tizard wrote the first standardized textbook on Veterinary Immunology in 1977. This text, now in its 11th edition, is used worldwide, and has played a major role in establishing Immunology among the key disciplines.