Herd immunity (or community immunity) describes a form of immunity that occurs when the vaccination of a significant portion of a population (or herd) provides a measure of protection for individuals who have not developed immunity. Herd immunity theory proposes that, in contagious diseases that are transmitted from individual to individual, chains of infection are likely to be disrupted when large numbers of a population are immune or less susceptible to the disease. The greater the proportion of individuals who are resistant, the smaller the probability that a susceptible individual will come into contact with an infectious individual.
| Disease | Transmission | R0 | Herd immunity threshold |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diphtheria | Saliva | 6–7 | 85% |
| Measles | Airborne | 12–18 | 83–94% |
| Mumps | Airborne droplet | 4–7 | 75–86% |
| Pertussis | Airborne droplet | 12–17 | 92–94% |
| Polio | Fecal-oral route | 5–7 | 80–86% |
| Rubella | Airborne droplet | 5–7 | 80–85% |
| Smallpox | Social contact | 6–7 | 83–85% |
Vaccination acts as a sort of firebreak or firewall in the spread of the disease, slowing or preventing further transmission of the disease to others. Unvaccinated individuals are indirectly protected by vaccinated individuals, as the latter will not contract and transmit the disease between infected and susceptible individuals. Hence, a public health policy of herd immunity may be used to reduce spread of an illness and provide a level of protection to a vulnerable, unvaccinated subgroup. Since only a small fraction of the population (or herd) can be left unvaccinated for this method to be effective, it is considered best left for those who cannot safely receive vaccines because of a medical condition such as an immune disorder, organ transplant recipients, or people with Egg Allergies.
The proportion of immune individuals in a population above which a disease may no longer persist is the herd immunity threshold. Its value varies with the virulence of the disease, the efficacy of the vaccine, and the contact parameter for the population. No vaccine offers complete protection, but the spread of disease from person to person is much higher in those who remain unvaccinated. It is the general aim of those involved in public health to establish herd immunity in most populations. Complications arise when widespread vaccination is not possible or when vaccines are rejected by a part of the population. As of 2009, herd immunity is compromised in some areas for some vaccine-preventable diseases, including pertussis and measles and mumps, in part because of parental refusal of vaccination.
Herd immunity generally applies only to diseases that are contagious. It does not apply to diseases such as tetanus (which is infectious, but is not contagious), where the vaccine protects only the vaccinated person from disease. Nor does it apply to the IPV poliomyelitis vaccine that protects the individual from viremia and paralytic polio but does not prevent the fecal-oral spread of infection. Herd immunity should not be confused with contact immunity, a related concept wherein a vaccinated individual can 'pass on' the vaccine to another individual through contact.
Read more about Herd Immunity: In Social Networks
Famous quotes containing the words herd and/or immunity:
“The elephant, not only the largest but the most intelligent of animals, provides us with an excellent example. It is faithful and tenderly loving to the female of its choice, mating only every third year and then for no more than five days, and so secretly as never to be seen, until, on the sixth day, it appears and goes at once to wash its whole body in the river, unwilling to return to the herd until thus purified. Such good and modest habits are an example to husband and wife.”
—St. Francis De Sales (1567–1622)
“Mistakes, scandals, and failures no longer signal catastrophe. The crucial thing is that they be made credible, and that the public be made aware of the efforts being expended in that direction. The “marketing” immunity of governments is similar to that of the major brands of washing powder.”
—Jean Baudrillard (b. 1929)