New book a shot in the arm for the cause of vaccination
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Will a new book finally immunise public opinion - and US President Donald Trump - against the conspiracy theory that vaccinations are dangerous to children?
The global medical and science communities are hoping so.
The Vaccine Race, by US science writer Meredith Wadman, explores the history of vaccines and, in particular, the change from using animal cells to human cells for the cultivation of vaccines by the maverick Leonard Hayflick.
A genius who broke new ground in the fight against disease, Hayflick was shunned by his colleagues until it came to light that the war against rubella and polio, for example, was won largely thanks to his achievements.
The book documents in detail the long history of vaccine development without romanticising it.
It shows how far the research methodology has come and the enormous impact vaccination has had on the world.
According to the UN Children's Fund, vaccinations have brought seven diseases under control, and the World Health Organisation says measles-related deaths have "decreased by 79% since the beginning of the century".
This is primarily thanks to vaccines.
Wadman's book, launched earlier this month, comes hot on the heels of US president Donald Trump joining the "anti-vaxxer" chorus.