Fifth edition of "Vaccines" published

The 5th edition of Vaccines, the magisterial textbook covering all aspects of vaccines and vaccination, was published this month. Edited by Stanley Plotkin, Walter Orenstein, and Paul Offit, everything about the newly revised and expanded text is impressive: 1748 pages, 76 chapters, several hundred contributors, and tens of thousands of references to other published materials. Already long viewed as the standard reference work on vaccines, the new edition adds to this unmatched reputation.

Chapters cover every vaccine developed or in development and several dozen topics related to infrastructure, regulation, and policy considerations. We were pleased to co-author one of the chapters new to the 5th edition, one titled "Ethics". In it, we provide a necessarily brief overview of the many (largely unexplored) ethical issues that arise throughout the vaccine life-cycle -- from the earliest stages of research through the implementation of national and international vaccination programs.

Overall, Vaccines is the first place to turn for answers to just about any question about a specific vaccine or vaccination programs more generally. More information about the book can be found at the Elsevier web site.