Herd Immunity Flashcards
Herd immunity arises when a
sufficiently large proportion of the population has been vaccinated (and are therefore immune) which makes it difficult for a pathogen to spread within that population
herd immunity protects people who
Those who are not immunised are protected and unlikely to contract it as the levels of the disease are so low
It is very important as it allows for the individuals who are unable to be vaccinated (e.g. children and those with weak immune systems) to be protected from the disease
The proportion of the population that needs to be vaccinated in order to achieve herd immunity is different for each disease
If vaccination rates fall below the required level then herd immunity can
break down
There was an outbreak of Measles in Swansea in 2012 due to a lack of vaccine uptake
