Download high-resolution image Look inside
Listen to a clip from the audiobook
audio pause button
0:00
0:00

Booster Shots

The Urgent Lessons of Measles and the Uncertain Future of Children's Health

Author Adam Ratner, MD, MPH On Tour
Look inside
Listen to a clip from the audiobook
audio pause button
0:00
0:00
A pediatrician and infectious disease specialist warns of the resurgence of measles, the antivaccine movement, and how we can prepare for the next pandemic

Every single child diagnosed with measles represents a system failure—an inexcusable unforced error. The technology to prevent essentially 100 percent of measles cases has been in our hands since before the moon landing. But this serious airborne disease, once seemingly defeated, is resurgent around the globe. Why, at a time when biomedical science is so advanced, do parents turn away from vaccination, endangering their own children and the health of the wider population?
    Using a combination of patient narrative, historical analysis, and scientific research, Dr. Adam Ratner, pediatrician and infectious disease specialist, argues that the reawakening of measles and the subsequent coronavirus pandemic are bellwethers of forgotten knowledge—indicators of decaying trust in science and an underfunded public health infrastructure. Our collective amnesia is starkly revealed in the growth of the antivaccine movement and the missteps in our responses to the beginning of the coronavirus outbreak, leading to preventable tragedies in both cases.
    Trust in medicine and public health is at a nadir. Declining vaccine confidence threatens a global reemergence of other vaccine-preventable diseases in the coming years. Ratner details how solving these problems requires the use of literal and figurative “booster shots” to gather new knowledge and retain the crucial lessons of the past. Learning—and remembering—these lessons is our best hope for preparing for the next pandemic. With attention and care and the tools we already have, we can make the world much safer for children tomorrow than it is today.
"A masterful history of both grand and intimate scale, Dr. Ratner details how we reached a point of extraordinary scientific achievement and painful systemic distrust, making a forceful case for the path forward, across politics, public health, and patient care."—Chelsea Clinton

“Not only have we largely eliminated measles from the United States, we’ve eliminated the memory of measles. As a result, measles is coming back. Weaving historical events with personal experiences, Dr. Ratner makes us remember, telling us exactly what is at stake if we continue along this path. A fascinating read—Booster Shots is a call to arms in a troubled time.”—Paul A. Offit, MD, author of Tell Me When It’s Over

“In many parts of the world, we are seeing the return of measles because of interruptions in childhood immunization programs, but also because parents are refusing to vaccinate their children. In Booster Shots, pediatric infectious disease expert Dr. Ratner informs us on what we must do to get back on track, and the potential for global eradication.” —Peter Hotez, MD, PhD, Director, Center for Vaccine Development, Texas Children's Hospital

"A brilliant book, opening up the secrets of the measles virus to yield revelations about sickness and immunity, science and society, and offering urgent lessons for the world we live in today. Dr. Ratner brings together compelling stories from laboratory science and medical history with experiences from his own pediatric practice caring for children in epidemics from recent measles outbreaks to COVID -19."Perri Klass, MD, author of The Best Medicine

Booster Shots is at once a history of measles, a story of vaccine development, and a guide for approaching vaccine-hesitant parents who only want what’s best for their vulnerable children—in short, an immensely valuable read!” David Oshinsky, author of Polio and Bellevue
 
"A fast-paced, riveting, tour-de-force bursting with humanity, history, and expertise. Booster Shots reveals what measles teaches us about ourselves and our future. I couldn't put it down."—Matt McCarthy, MD, author of the international bestseller Superbugs

“Ratner provides fascinating scientific insight into measles, explaining how the virus induces a kind of immunological amnesia by targeting immune cells responsible for remembering how to counteract previously encountered viruses, and he makes a strong case that health depends on much more than biology. This will open readers’ eyes.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Ratner closes by arguing that good science-based education should be put to work to supplant bad information and bad intentions...An intriguing look at the costs to children's health.” —Kirkus Reviews
© Kevin Perez
Adam Ratner, MD, MPH, is a professor of pediatrics and microbiology at NYU Grossman School of Medicine and the director of the Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at Hassenfeld Children’s Hospital and Bellevue Hospital Center. In addition to practicing medicine, Dr. Ratner directs an active research group and teaches students, residents, and other trainees. He speaks widely in both academic settings and news outlets on topics relevant to vaccination and infections in childhood. His work has appeared in The New England Journal of MedicinePNASPediatrics, and other venues. He edits a major textbook of pediatric infectious diseases, has chaired grant review panels for the National Institutes of Health, and serves on numerous advisory and editorial boards. View titles by Adam Ratner, MD, MPH

About

A pediatrician and infectious disease specialist warns of the resurgence of measles, the antivaccine movement, and how we can prepare for the next pandemic

Every single child diagnosed with measles represents a system failure—an inexcusable unforced error. The technology to prevent essentially 100 percent of measles cases has been in our hands since before the moon landing. But this serious airborne disease, once seemingly defeated, is resurgent around the globe. Why, at a time when biomedical science is so advanced, do parents turn away from vaccination, endangering their own children and the health of the wider population?
    Using a combination of patient narrative, historical analysis, and scientific research, Dr. Adam Ratner, pediatrician and infectious disease specialist, argues that the reawakening of measles and the subsequent coronavirus pandemic are bellwethers of forgotten knowledge—indicators of decaying trust in science and an underfunded public health infrastructure. Our collective amnesia is starkly revealed in the growth of the antivaccine movement and the missteps in our responses to the beginning of the coronavirus outbreak, leading to preventable tragedies in both cases.
    Trust in medicine and public health is at a nadir. Declining vaccine confidence threatens a global reemergence of other vaccine-preventable diseases in the coming years. Ratner details how solving these problems requires the use of literal and figurative “booster shots” to gather new knowledge and retain the crucial lessons of the past. Learning—and remembering—these lessons is our best hope for preparing for the next pandemic. With attention and care and the tools we already have, we can make the world much safer for children tomorrow than it is today.

Reviews

"A masterful history of both grand and intimate scale, Dr. Ratner details how we reached a point of extraordinary scientific achievement and painful systemic distrust, making a forceful case for the path forward, across politics, public health, and patient care."—Chelsea Clinton

“Not only have we largely eliminated measles from the United States, we’ve eliminated the memory of measles. As a result, measles is coming back. Weaving historical events with personal experiences, Dr. Ratner makes us remember, telling us exactly what is at stake if we continue along this path. A fascinating read—Booster Shots is a call to arms in a troubled time.”—Paul A. Offit, MD, author of Tell Me When It’s Over

“In many parts of the world, we are seeing the return of measles because of interruptions in childhood immunization programs, but also because parents are refusing to vaccinate their children. In Booster Shots, pediatric infectious disease expert Dr. Ratner informs us on what we must do to get back on track, and the potential for global eradication.” —Peter Hotez, MD, PhD, Director, Center for Vaccine Development, Texas Children's Hospital

"A brilliant book, opening up the secrets of the measles virus to yield revelations about sickness and immunity, science and society, and offering urgent lessons for the world we live in today. Dr. Ratner brings together compelling stories from laboratory science and medical history with experiences from his own pediatric practice caring for children in epidemics from recent measles outbreaks to COVID -19."Perri Klass, MD, author of The Best Medicine

Booster Shots is at once a history of measles, a story of vaccine development, and a guide for approaching vaccine-hesitant parents who only want what’s best for their vulnerable children—in short, an immensely valuable read!” David Oshinsky, author of Polio and Bellevue
 
"A fast-paced, riveting, tour-de-force bursting with humanity, history, and expertise. Booster Shots reveals what measles teaches us about ourselves and our future. I couldn't put it down."—Matt McCarthy, MD, author of the international bestseller Superbugs

“Ratner provides fascinating scientific insight into measles, explaining how the virus induces a kind of immunological amnesia by targeting immune cells responsible for remembering how to counteract previously encountered viruses, and he makes a strong case that health depends on much more than biology. This will open readers’ eyes.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Ratner closes by arguing that good science-based education should be put to work to supplant bad information and bad intentions...An intriguing look at the costs to children's health.” —Kirkus Reviews

Author

© Kevin Perez
Adam Ratner, MD, MPH, is a professor of pediatrics and microbiology at NYU Grossman School of Medicine and the director of the Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at Hassenfeld Children’s Hospital and Bellevue Hospital Center. In addition to practicing medicine, Dr. Ratner directs an active research group and teaches students, residents, and other trainees. He speaks widely in both academic settings and news outlets on topics relevant to vaccination and infections in childhood. His work has appeared in The New England Journal of MedicinePNASPediatrics, and other venues. He edits a major textbook of pediatric infectious diseases, has chaired grant review panels for the National Institutes of Health, and serves on numerous advisory and editorial boards. View titles by Adam Ratner, MD, MPH