Video Library

Healthcare Triage: Vaccines and Autism

There is almost no topic in health and health policy that immediately polarizes people more than the idea that vaccines cause autism. Even though the original big paper on this topic came out at the end of the last century, the anger this causes is still raw and potent. But there is a very, very large amount of research showing that vaccines and autism are unrelated.

How Do Vaccines Work?

The first vaccine was created when Edward Jenner, an English physician and scientist, successfully injected small amounts of a cowpox virus into a young boy to protect him from the related (and deadly) smallpox virus. But how does this seemingly counterintuitive process work? TED-Ed also provides additional resources for you to explore.

Why Vaccines Work

As more and more parents choose not to vaccinate their children or are vaccinating them later, diseases like measles are making a comeback. Are vaccines safe? How do vaccines work? Why do some people claim there is a link between vaccines and autism? This video looks at the history and science of vaccines and why people are afraid of something that has saved so many lives.