The Future of Everything The future of vaccines
Mar 13, 2026
Yvonne Maldonado, a Stanford pediatrician and vaccine researcher, discusses how vaccines train immunity, why responses and booster needs vary, and how viruses evolve. She also explores herd immunity dynamics and the causes of declining public trust, arguing for better messaging and trusted messengers to restore confidence.
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Vaccines Train Immunity To Prevent Severe Disease
- Vaccines prime the immune system with harmless or engineered components so it suppresses the real pathogen and prevents severe disease or death.
- Yvonne Maldonado emphasizes vaccines as a “magic bullet,” reducing viral deaths dramatically since the late 19th century with millions of lives saved.
We Still Lack Clear Predictors Of Vaccine Response
- Immune responses to vaccines vary widely and remain poorly understood, causing unpredictable breakthrough infections or side effects.
- Maldonado calls current markers crude and stresses long development cycles using lab, animal, and biomarker studies before clinical trials.
Assess Vaccines By Risk Benefit Of Disease
- Evaluate vaccines by weighing side-effect risks against disease severity — higher-risk diseases tolerate higher vaccine side effects.
- Maldonado contrasts deadly smallpox (30–50% mortality) where risky vaccines were justified with lower-demand vaccines like early Lyme products.