We’re big fans of The RSA and their wonderful sketchnote illustrations of big ideas by big thinkers. Despite the signature fun format, their latest installment deals with a very serious issue surrounded by a tragic amount of public misinformation: Vaccines. The 4-minute animation distills the gist of Bill Gates’ 24-page annual letter, which focuses on the Gates Foundation’s vaccination advocacy as well as their work in HIV/AIDS, malaria, agriculture and education.

I like to say that vaccines are miracles. They’re miracles because giving children a couple of drops or a shot in the arm can prevent some of the worst childhood diseases for a lifetime. And that, for me, is a miracle.” ~ Bill Gates

For more on the subject of vaccines and misinformation, we highly recommend the excellent new book The Panic Virus: A True Story of Medicine, Science, and Fear — a bold debunking of the misguided anti-vaccine movement, rooted in equal parts science and social psychology to reveal how media sensationalism and PR-hungry health authorities are obscuring some of modern medicine’s greatest achievements to a dangerous effect.

via Tactical Philanthropy via @simonmainwaring