Vaccines Did Not Cause Rachel's Autism: My Journey as a Vaccine Scientist, Pediatrician, and Autism Dad
In 1994, Peter J. Hotez's nineteen-month-old daughter, Rachel, was diagnosed with autism. Dr. Hotez, a pediatrician-scientist who develops vaccines for neglected tropical diseases affecting the world's poorest people, became troubled by the decades-long rise of the influential anti-vaccine community and their inescapable narrative around childhood vaccines and autism. The alleged link between the two was first espoused in a fraudulent scientific paper, long since retracted, but the story shows no signs of letting up. As a result, we've seen deadly and disabling outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases around the country, and Texas, where Hotez lives, is at particular risk.
In Vaccines Did Not Cause Rachel's Autism, Hotez draws on his experiences as a pediatrician, vaccine scientist, and father of an autistic child. Outlining the arguments on both sides of the debate, he examines the science that refutes the concerns of the anti-vaccine movement, debunks current conspiracy theories alleging a cover-up by the CDC, and critiques the scientific community's failure to effectively communicate the facts about vaccines and autism to the general public, all while sharing his very personal story of raising a now-adult daughter with autism.
A uniquely authoritative account, this important book persuasively provides evidence for the genetic basis of autism and illustrates how the neurodevelopmental pathways of autism are under way before birth. Dr. Hotez reminds readers of the many victories of vaccines over disease while warning about the growing dangers of the anti-vaccine movement, especially in the United States and Europe. A former US Science Envoy for the Department of State, he also explains what's at stake if the movement continues to gain ground. Opening with a foreword by leading medical ethicist Arthur L. Caplan, this book is a must-read for parent groups, child advocates, teachers, health-care providers, government policymakers, health and science policy experts, and anyone caring for a family member or friend with autism.
"When Peter Hotez--an erudite, highly trained scientist who is a true hero for his work in saving the world's poor and downtrodden--shares his knowledge and clinical insights along with his parental experience, when his beliefs in the value of what he does are put to the test of a life guiding his own child's challenges, then you must pay attention. You should. This book brings to an end the link between autism and vaccination."--from the foreword by Arthur L. Caplan, NYU School of Medicine
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Peter J. Hotez, MD, PhD is the Texas Children's Hospital Endowed Chair in Tropical Pediatrics and codirector of the Texas Children's Hospital Center for Vaccine Development at Baylor College of Medicine, where he is also the dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine. In 2015 he was selected as a US Science Envoy for the State Department and the White House. He is the author of Blue Marble Health: An Innovative Plan to Fight Diseases of the Poor amid Wealth and Preventing the Next Pandemic: Vaccine Diplomacy in a Time of Anti-science.
"Recommended for popular science readers looking to refute the antivaccination debate as well as readers interested in children's public health."
--Library Journal"A uniquely authoritative account... This book is a must-read for parent groups, child advocates, teachers, health-care providers, government policymakers, health and science policy experts, and anyone caring for a family member or friend with autism."
--Precision Vaccinations"Peter Hotez has 2 words for his fellow scientists: Speak up... [Vaccines Did Not Cause Rachel's Autism] seeks to clear some people's muddied perspectives on autism and vaccines while also sharing his journey with his daughter Rachel."
--Global Health NOW"A tour de force in the field. I have read many book on vaccines and vaccine policies and this one stands out among all of them. Perhaps it is the way Dr. Hotez seamlessly weaves in his and his family's experiences with Rachel's autism. He covers the diagnosis, the daily trials and tribulations, the frustrations, and the successes... I can't recommend this book enough and hope it has a wide audience of physicians, parents, students, and policy makers."
--Dr. Amesh Adalja "Tracking Zebra ""Dr. Hotez's third published book combines the deeply personal story of his experiences as the father of a child with autism and his equally intimate and detailed knowledge of both vaccine science and what's now known about what does (and does not) cause autism. As a scientist whose research focuses on developing vaccines against an array of devastating tropical diseases that overwhelmingly effect the world's poor, and as one both capable and willing to inform others in terms understandable to the general public, his viewpoint is by equal degrees credible and vitally important... This is a well-reasoned and reasonable book; a well-structured and convincing defense of true science in the age of fake news and rampant pseudoscience."
--Jim Lee "JIMLEEAUTHOR Blog ""In the era of 'fake news', we need to encourage Hotez's kind of scientific engagement... Scientists are not part of our national discourse on many issues, even on issues directly relating to their expertise. That needs to change. Vaccines Did Not Cause Rachel's Autism is Hotez's shot across the bow, directly aimed at the non-scientific public. Hopefully, it's a shot that will be heard around the world."
--Rabbi David Shabtai, MD "Spectator USA ""At this juncture, Hotez' book stands tall not just because he has explained in great detail the humbling efforts of scientists like himself in developing vaccines and immunisation schedules and their intellectual mythbusting efforts after the Wakefield's controversy. The reason why Hotez's book is special is that he has gone the extra mile to scientifically understand and tell the world in direct and simple words repeatedly that his daughter's autism has nothing to do with vaccines."
--Vijay Shankar Balakrishnan "The Lancet ""... Hotez isn't pulling any punches."
--Foreword Reviews"[Vaccines Did Not Cause Rachel's Autism is] without a shadow of doubt, one of Dr. Hotez's most important contributions to humanity... Through its pages, Dr. Hotez wages the largest of battles: the battle against ignorance and indolence, choosing to take a step forward against the powerful and well-installed anti-vaccine movement... Dr. Hotez wrote this book as a vaccine against public skepticism by using veracity and facts. He renewed faith in the medical practice of immunization."
--Alberto E. Paniz Mondolfi MD., PhD "Bulletin of the National Academy of Medicine - Venezuela ""Dr. Hotez has opened his heart and mind on the pages of this important book, which reads like a psychological autopsy of a family living and struggling with debilitating illness. It is highly recommended."
--Ronald Piana "The ASCO Post "
