What is herd immunity?
Herd immunity is a situation that develops when the majority of a population develops immunity to an infectious disease, stopping the disease’s transmission. When herd immunity is attained, it can offer some level of protection, even to those who have not received vaccinations, due to the significantly decreased likelihood of disease spreading within the community.
In other words, herd immunity, which lessens the likelihood of physical contact between an infected person and a vulnerable person, can protect the vulnerable segment of the population in a population where a significant portion of people are already immune.
Herd immunity requires between 70% and 90% of a community to be immune, depending on how contagious the disease is.
There are two ways to do this:
• Many people are vaccinated against the disease to build immunity.
• Many people catch the illness, and over time, develop immunity to it. Natural immunity is what we call this.
Development of herd immunity through vaccination
The best technique to create herd immunity is by vaccination, since it can stop the spread of diseases. The quantity of immunised members of a community closely correlates to the degree of indirect protection based on herd immunity. In this way, those who cannot receive vaccinations, such as infants, expectant mothers, or people with impaired immune systems, can be safeguarded (organ transplant patients, cancer patients receiving chemotherapy).
The indirect protection provided by vaccination-based herd immunity, however, might differ geographically from one area to another as a result of characteristics that are regionally variable, such as vaccine efficacy and coverage.
Creating herd immunity based on vaccines has some drawbacks. Some vaccines lose their effectiveness over time, and those who skip the booster shot risk losing the advantages.
What makes herd immunity crucial?
Herd immunity occurs when a sizable fraction of a population (the herd) develops immunity to a disease. When herd immunity is reached, the likelihood of disease transmission from one person to another decreases. As a result, everyone in the community is shielded from harm, not just the immune.
Often, for a disease to spread, a certain proportion of the population must be susceptible to contracting it. We refer to this as a threshold proportion. The prevalence of the disease will drop if the percentage of the population that is immune to it exceeds this cutoff point. The herd immunity threshold refers to this.
WRITER - ABHILASHA RAI
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