Reddit reviews The Panic Virus: The True Story Behind the Vaccine-Autism Controversy

Bad Science by Ben Goldacre, Demon Haunted World by Carl Sagan for general science.

Stuff by James Randi, Michael Shermer for general stuff about new age crap.

The Panic Virus by Seth Mnookin and Deadly Choices by Paul Offit on the Anti-Vaccination movement.

Damned Lies and Statistics by Joel Best and How to Lie with Statistics by Darrell Huff (Also see How to Lie with Maps by Mark Monomonier for a similar subject) for questioning stats and graphics used in the news.

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Panic Virus by Seth Mnookin. The author is a reporter and a parent, and it's a well-researched, open-minded book about the vaccine controversy. I say "open-minded", because he investigates and reports on both positive and negative, but he does draw conclusions, and ends up being generally pro-vaccine.

You are right, the anti-vax movement has been around for as long as there have been vaccines. Congratulations on surviving your childhood diseases, but your anecdote does not apply universally. Just because you survived doesn't mean that everyone will live through them, or escape unscathed. This especially applies to third world countries, where access to adequate medical care is a rarity. Here's an excellent WHO fact sheet on measles. Much more information is available online if you are interested in learning. I would also highly recommend reading The Panic Virus by Seth Mnookin for an entertaining explanation of vaccines and the diseases they prevent.

Read my friend's book. I did.

http://www.amazon.com/Panic-Virus-Behind-Vaccine-Autism-Controversy/dp/1439158657/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1422044575&sr=8-1&keywords=seth+mnookin

It's literally over-researched. Too detailed. Overly documented.

But you will know everything about this controversy.