Two must read articles about the anti-vaccination movement

Both from City Journal (The Manhattan Institute)

The Whooping Cough’s Unnecessary Return

Vaccines, which save millions of lives every year, are one of the most successful public-health interventions in the history of modern medicine. Among the diseases that they prevent is the whooping cough. Why, then, is that sickness making a scary comeback in California, which is currently weathering its largest whooping-cough epidemic since 1947, with over 7,800 cases and 10 deaths in 2010?

The Virus of Hysteria
Review of new book Deadly Choices: How the Anti-Vaccine Movement Threatens Us All by Paul A. Offit

From experience I know that it is best, when reviewing a book about the vaccine question, to declare a financial interest, or in my case, a lack of one. As far as I know I own no shares in vaccine companies, except perhaps through mutual funds whose holdings I haven’t examined closely. I don’t think, therefore, that my economic future depends to any great extent on the sale of vaccines. In view of what I am about to say, conspiracy theorists will have difficulty believing this, but it’s true.

Make sure to click the links to read the rest of the articles.  Who knows, someone's life could depend on it.