Don’t give in to sirens of fear. Stick to facts, just facts. This is bet of scientific journalist Lise Barnéoud with her first book entitled Immunized? A new look at vaccines. Far from it idea of reassuring by avoiding to go into complexity of things. Not. Lise Barnéoud takes subject to arm–body and accurately dissects stakes of each vaccine.
First Parallel editions
The book starts in a whirlwind with an exciting historical lighting. We learn that adventure of vaccination has not only started at end of eighteenth century with British physician Edward Jenner, n with Louis Pasteur a century later. In years 1710, Mary Wortley Montagu, a British aristocrat, recounts in letters technique known as smallpox graft she observed in Constantinople where she resides with her husband. “Her wonder for this technique practiced exclusively by women, stories she makes in her letters thus start history of vaccines,” says Lise Barnéoud. After story of smallpox eradication, author is committed to story of polio vaccination and explains why it is so difficult to eradicate this virus.
“The general interest, solidarity dimension, and even altruistic, have since become most used arguments by authorities to defend principle of vaccination”
The book takes a real philosophical turn when its author raises question of altruistic nature of vaccination. “The general interest, solidarity dimension, and even altruistic, have since become arguments most used by authorities to defend principle of vaccination,” she writes. Yet, “The three mandatory vaccines (diphria, tetanus, poliomyelitis) have little or no impact on collective protection.”
Based on scientific data, reporter n attacks sensitive points: “is vaccine against measles a cause of autism?”, “is HPV vaccine of particular risks?”, “Is it dangerous to Combine multiple vaccines? ” …
Throughout book, Lise Barnéoud defends that “it is not possible to talk about vaccination.” Each vaccine has a different history, distinct advantages and disadvantages. We learn that vaccine against rotavirus gastroenteritis would be useless in developed countries, that measles has a real public health interest or that vaccinate all children against flu to protect elderly is not necessarily a good calculation.
Does ” fortnight of recommended or compulsory vaccines in France all have a major public health interest to point of dedicating EUR 300 million for ir reimbursement each year?”, she asks in epilogue. While defending bill and nail this human invention that saved several million souls in a century.
Immune? A new look at vaccines, first parallel editions, 240 pages, 18 euros.
