Vaccines—Calling the Shots

Diseases that were largely eradicated in the United States a generation ago—whooping cough, measles, mumps—are returning, in part because nervous parents are skipping their children's shots. NOVA takes viewers around the world to track epidemics, explore the science behind vaccinations, hear from parents wrestling with vaccine-related questions, and shed light on the risks of opting out.

Diseases that were largely eradicated in the United States a generation ago—whooping cough, measles, mumps—are returning, in part because nervous parents are skipping their children's shots. NOVA takes viewers around the world to track epidemics, explore the science behind vaccinations, hear from parents wrestling with vaccine-related questions, and shed light on the risks of opting out.

Dorothy Roseman describes her close encounters with vaccine-preventable diseases.

The world can be a dangerous place, full of foes large and little. Take deadly infectious diseases. Host David Pogue considers a new kind of vaccine that might save millions of lives, while eliminating the need for refrigeration and scary needles.

Human papillomavirus, or HPV, can cause cervical cancer. Bhutan is the first developing country to welcome the widespread vaccination of girls against HPV, and cervical cancer rates have dropped. Some countries have resisted the vaccine, but in Bhutan even the royal princess is onboard.

New technology may bypass the need to keep vaccines cold by stabilizing them with silk.

The polio vaccine's history extends more than fifty years.

Vaccination began as a traditional therapy over a thousand years ago.

Vaccines work with our immune system to keep us from getting sick.