The Anti-Vaccination Movement: Replacing Science with Superstition
Dr. Greg Forbes, GRCC Biology Professor, presents that more than 2 centuries have passed since the first vaccines were used to prevent disease and the disabilities and death associated with these diseases. However, even after the prevention of many millions of deaths, vaccine skeptics and vaccine conspiracy theories appear to be increasing in frequency even in the light of a proponderous of scientific fact validating the efficacy and safety of vaccines. This presentation will provide an overview of how vaccines provide protection from disease, how vaccines are manufactured and will review the claims from the anti-vaccine skeptics. These claims will then be addressed utilizing the body of scientific knowledge acquired over the last 2 centuries as well as contemporary research. A comparison of the anti-vaccine movement will then be made to similar anti-science beliefs such as climate change denial, anti-evolutionism and young Earth geology.
