Dr. Paul Offit - Polio Confidential: Stories from Those Who Lived It, The Continued Path Toward Prevention (Part 1)

Today is part one of Polio Confidential: Stories from Those Who Lived It, The Continued Path Toward Prevention. Today we are speaking with Dr. Paul Offit about the history of polio, the polio vaccine, and the rise of the modern anti-vaccine movement. 

Dr. Offit is a professor of pediatrics and attending physician at the Division of Infectious Diseases at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. As director of the Vaccine Education Center at that institution, he is an internationally recognized expert in the fields of virology and immunology. Dr. Offit is a member of the FDA Vaccine Advisory Committee. 

(00:17) Introduction
(01:54) Dr. Offit's friendship with Maurice Hilleman
(03:28) Why write?
(04:35) How does FDA and CDC decide a vaccine isn't safe?
(05:45) A bit of polio history and Dr. Offit's memories of growing up before the polio vaccine
(07:19) How as U.S. society different from today with regards to vaccines?
(08:55) The Cutter Incident
(10:32) How would the Cutter Incident be different now?
(11:12) What was the birth of the modern anti-vaccine movement?
(13:06) What motivates anti-vaxxers?
(14:23) What is the current status of polio?
(17:01) Is polio dangerous today?
(17:50) Have we forgotten polio?
(18:40) Should we be afraid of the incoming administration?
(19:45) How much can a political administration control vaccine approval and recommendations?
(20:52) If you have already had the polio vaccine, do you need a booster?
(21:11) What does Dr. Offit recommend telling a parent or patient who is vaccine-hesitant?
(22:05) What could we have done differently with COVID and COVID vaccines?
(25:00) What should we do now to promote vaccines and vaccine safety?
(25:35) What is Dr. Offit up to next?

For more from Dr. Offit, please see his website: https://www.paul-offit.com/
Books: https://www.paul-offit.com/recent-books
Shot in the Arm documentary: https://www.paul-offit.com/general-9
Newsletter: https://pauloffit.substack.com/

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