Vaccines represent one of the great medical breakthroughs of our times, leading to the global eradication of smallpox and the prospect of a polio-free world. Five hundred million children have been reached with vaccines in the past 15 years, and seven million lives have been saved, according to the global Vaccine Alliance. But vaccination teams have also been killed in Pakistan and a powerful anti-vaccination movement has taken hold in the US and other wealthy countries, where fears persist that vaccines increase the risk of autism, aren’t “natural,” or are perhaps a government conspiracy. Why are such powerful forces aligned against proven prevention? What is the risk that polio, measles, mumps and pertussis will surge back as a result? How do we strengthen support for vaccinations? UNDERWRITTEN BY HEALTH CARE REIT