Vaccination OpenCourseWare: A Free Undergraduate Public Health Class on Vaccination by The Open University

Published Feb 18, 2009

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Learn about the various vaccinations that have cured diseases, such as polio and small pox in the 'Vaccination' OpenCourseWare. The free course is offered by The Open University and is an intermediate level class that can be completed in approximately 14 hours.

Vaccination: Course Specifics

Degree Level Free Audio Video Downloads
Undergraduate Yes No No Yes

Lectures/Notes Study Materials Tests/Quizzes
Yes Yes No

Vaccination: Course Description

In the 'Vaccination' OpenCourseWare, students can learn about the long history of the vaccine and how it helped eliminate the small pox virus as well as polio. The free course explains how vaccines were created and tested in the early centuries of medical practices. The course content provides a chart with a list of infectious diseases that have affected people throughout history and the year a vaccine was used to treat the disease. The chart begins with the year 1798 when the smallpox vaccine was first used to 1999 when the meningitis C vaccine was used. The course provides a chart displaying the number of reported cases of measles, rubella and mumps in the United States from 1950 to 1980. The chart clearly shows a rapid decrease in reported cases of these three diseases due to the introduction of the vaccine. Students can learn the difference between active and passive vaccination procedures as well as learn how vaccines are produced. The free course also discusses the major challenges involved in vaccine development, vaccine safety, vaccine controversies and the inability to develop a vaccine that can cure every disease and infection.

The OpenCourseWare includes lecture notes and study materials. If you are interested in taking this free course, visit the vaccination course page.

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