Vaccinated: One Man’s Quest to Defeat the World’s Deadliest Diseases

Posted on February 27, 2020 by jphmpdirect

by Emily Yox, MPH

Each month, NACCHO brings you a new public health book, read and reviewed by NACCHO staff. Book reviews in this series originally appeared on NACCHO Voice: The Word on Local health Departments and are republished here with permission.

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Vaccinated, by Paul Offit, tells the incredible story of Maurice Hilleman, aptly named the father of modern vaccines. Despite his significant influence in the field of immunization, Hilleman is not as well-known as his impact would predict him to be. Vaccinated tells the story of Hilleman’s daughter, Jeryl getting the mumps as a child, and how that led to the development of the modern mumps vaccine, starting as a father’s determination to help his child. It goes on to discuss the numerous other vaccines that Hilleman played a role in developing, and covers with care, the recent anti-vaccination movement that is growing across the United States.

This is the second book by Paul Offit that I have recommended and likely won’t be the last. His ability to cover complex topics in a thoughtful and interesting way is unparalleled, in my opinion.

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Emily Yox

Emily Yox is the Program Analyst for Global Health at the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) in Washington, DC. In her role, she encourages US local health departments to understand the valuable perspective that global health programs can provide to domestic public health work. Emily completed her MPH in Global Health Epidemiology and Disease Control at the George Washington University Milken Institute of Public Health. She also holds a BA in International Studies from American University, School of International Service.