Health Beyond the Blog: Dr. Adam Ratner and “Booster Shots”

Discussing Dr. Ratner’s salient new book on childhood vaccines

by Merom Arthur

Measles has made a resurgence. It was deemed eliminated by the United States in 2000, with a mere two doses of vaccine providing 97% protection, but it has somehow made a comeback.

The latest resurgence has infected 124 individuals, primarily children, in Texas and New Mexico thus far and has even claimed the life of a young child who was unvaccinated. 

Dr. Adam Ratner, a pediatric infectious disease physician and professor of pediatrics and microbiology at the New York University Grossman School of Medicine, has spent his medical career treating premature babies and children with cancer, immune system deficiencies, and other illnesses. His newest book, Booster Shots: The Urgent Lessons of Measles and the Uncertain Future of Childrens’ Health, could not have been released at a more appropriate time. In addition to promoting his book, he discussed the history of measles, the relationship between geography, politics, and its impact on health outcomes, and the systemic failures that have allowed vaccine-preventable diseases to return during the latest installment of Health Storytelling with Maryn McKenna.

The book proposes a fascinating idea about measles as a bellwether. Specifically, measles outbreaks serve to warn of low vaccination areas, due to its contagious nature, and to the potential for future viruses to attack. Dr. Ratner describes a case study in Booster Shots — the 1970 measles outbreak in Texarkana, a town split between Texas and Arkansas. At the time, Arkansas had school vaccine mandates and publicly funded immunization programs, leading to a vaccination rate of 95 percent of eligible children. Texas, on the other hand, lacked these policies, resulting in lower vaccination coverage. When measles struck, the vast majority of cases occurred on the Texas side of the town, illustrating the profound impact that public health policy can have on disease prevention.

Dr. Ratner explores the implications of the decline in vaccine confidence through patient stories, historical analysis, and scientific research, examining how misinformation, distrust in science, and underfunded public health systems have contributed to the anti-vaccine movement and recent public health crises. He draws parallels between the measles resurgence and the early missteps of the COVID-19 pandemic, emphasizing the need for “booster shots” of knowledge to reinforce trust in vaccines and prevent future outbreaks. The book serves as both a warning and a call to action, advocating for stronger public health policies and education to safeguard children’s health.

Booster Shots: The Urgent Lessons of Measles and the Uncertain Future of Childrens’ Health is available on Amazon and Bookshop.org. The Health Storytelling Author Q&A series is archived on YouTube and continues at 7pm on March 19th with New York Times columnist and author, Carl Zimmer discussing his new book, Air-Borne: The Hidden History of the Life We Breathe. 

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