
Sometime ago, I accompanied my sister to a pediatrician’s office, for the first of many vaccination appointments for her twin 8-week old girls. Fortunately for my sister, the nightmare ended after a few pokes of the needle and a few throaty bawls of protest. Sadly, not every parent’s ordeal ends the same way. Each day, parents around the world take their children on this routine with faith that this will protect their children against deadly and potentially life-threatening infections. But what if this very tool that is intended to protect becomes a lethal source of disability?