Before Vaccines life was ‘nasty, brutish and short’ with a life expectancy of 20-30 years. Vaccines have done more than anything else to extend life expectancy.
Ian explains how Jenner developed the very first vaccine, against smallpox, how the remarkable Lady Wortley Montague explored Turkish society to learn about variolation, a technique which greatly reduced deaths from Smallpox.
He talks about fake news and the anti-vaxxers, how difficult it is for today’s parents, and concludes with an explanation of how the mRna Covid vaccines have been a great leap forward in vaccine technology.