Vaccines

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Source: www.coursera.org

6 sequences

Level : Introductory

Health Care

Language : English

96 points

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Key Information

Free access

Free certificate

12 hours in total

About the content

This course will discuss issues regarding vaccines and vaccine safety: the history, science, benefits, and risks of vaccines, together with the controversies and common questions surrounding vaccines, and an update on newly created vaccines and recent outbreaks of previously controlled diseases.

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Syllabus

WEEK ONE: History of Vaccines

An overview of the history of vaccines is covered in week one starting with the first vaccine, the vaccine for smallpox, and concluding with discussion of Recombinant DNA and Reassortant Viruses.

WEEK TWO: Schedules and Common Questions

Current and alternate vaccine schedules are discussed as well as possible benefits and drawbacks of choosing an alternative schedule. The subject of vaccines raises many questions in various levels. "What are vaccines? Are they safe? Do they cause chronic illness?" These and other questions are also addressed in week two.

WEEK THREE: Vaccines and the Media

Such topics as the media's role in medical education of the population, the power of popular anecdote over fact, and the purported link between MMR and Autism will be discussed all in relation to the role of vaccines in society.

WEEK FOUR: Case Study - The Rotavirus Vaccine

The rotavirus structure is discussed along with functional properties of rotavirus proteins. The risks and benefits of Rotasheild in the U.S. and in the developing world, and processes and results of Rotateq trials are also examined.

WEEK FIVE: Exemptions

Various aspects and causes of vaccine exemptions are explored, including safety issues, tragedies, religious exemptions, and specific lawsuits. The consequences of exemptions, including breakdowns in herd immunity, are also discussed.

WEEK SIX: Recent Vaccines and Outbreaks

The course concludes with an overview of newly created vaccines and recent outbreaks of previously controlled diseases.

Instructors

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Paul Offit - Perelman School of Medicine

Content Designer

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The University of Pennsylvania (commonly referred to as Penn) is a private university, located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. A member of the Ivy League, Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, and considers itself to be the first university in the United States with both undergraduate and graduate studies.

Platform

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Coursera is a digital company offering massive open online course founded by computer teachers Andrew Ng and Daphne Koller Stanford University, located in Mountain View, California.

Coursera works with top universities and organizations to make some of their courses available online, and offers courses in many subjects, including: physics, engineering, humanities, medicine, biology, social sciences, mathematics, business, computer science, digital marketing, data science, and other subjects.

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