{"id":10280,"date":"2024-02-08T16:29:49","date_gmt":"2024-02-08T22:29:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.voicesforvaccines.org\/?post_type=jtf_topics&p=10280"},"modified":"2024-07-21T13:47:48","modified_gmt":"2024-07-21T18:47:48","slug":"does-herd-immunity-for-measles-exist","status":"publish","type":"jtf_topics","link":"https:\/\/www.voicesforvaccines.org\/es\/jtf_topics\/does-herd-immunity-for-measles-exist\/","title":{"rendered":"Does herd immunity for measles exist?"},"content":{"rendered":"
[vc_row source=”” text=”Clinical Trials” font_container=”tag:h2|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes” google_fonts=”font_family:Abril%20Fatface%3Aregular|font_style:400%20regular%3A400%3Anormal” link=”” css=”.vc_custom_1708910874436{border-top-width: 1px !important;border-right-width: 1px !important;border-bottom-width: 1px !important;border-left-width: 1px !important;}”][vc_column][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][vc_custom_heading text=”The Claim:” font_container=”tag:h3|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][vc_column_text css=””]\n
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Now that measles is raging back to life in the UK (and probably soon across the U.S.), anti-vaxxers are\u00a0claiming<\/a> that MMR uptake rates do not matter since herd immunity against measles doesn\u2019t exist. And that vaccinated kids are getting measles, proving that natural immunity is better.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][vc_custom_heading text=”The Facts:” font_container=”tag:h3|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][vc_column_text css=””]The statement about measles vaccine coverage and herd immunity has several misleading or incorrect issues. Let\u2019s break it down:<\/p>\n

\u201cThe promise for herd immunity was a lie.\u201d<\/strong>
\nHerd immunity<\/a>\u00a0is not a lie; it\u2019s a well-established scientific principle. When enough people in a community are vaccinated against a disease, like measles, it can greatly reduce the likelihood of disease spreading in the community. This protects those who can\u2019t be vaccinated, such as babies or people with certain medical conditions. The key is that a high enough percentage of the population needs to be vaccinated for herd immunity to work. For measles, this is usually around 95%.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo now \u2018vaccinated\u2019 children are getting measles in epidemic numbers\u201d<\/strong>
\nFirst, the vast majority of measles\u00a0cases<\/a>\u00a0occur in unvaccinated individuals. While it\u2019s true that no vaccine is 100% effective, the measles vaccine is very effective \u2014 about 97% effective after two doses. If community uptake rates dip below 95%, the risk for vaccinated and unvaccinated people increases. Let\u2019s say 80% of children in a school of 200 students are vaccinated, and Unvaccinated Bobby brings measles back from his exotic vacation to the UK. We can be relatively certain that almost all of the 40 unvaccinated students will come down with measles. But, because the vaccine is only 97% effective, 5 vaccinated students could also become sick as the virus circulates through the student body. This isn\u2019t an epidemic of the vaccinated. It\u2019s math.<\/p>\n

\u201cNatural immunity has been decimated.\u201d<\/strong>
\nThis statement suggests that allowing a disease to run rampant through a community to create \u201cnatural immunity\u201d is preferable to vaccinating them.\u00a0\u00a0Before the measles vaccine, nearly everyone in the population got measles at some point in their life, although usually as children. Measles is\u00a0so contagious<\/a>\u00a0that if 100 susceptible people were in a room with an active case, 90 of them would get measles. Today, very few people ever get measles because most people are vaccinated.<\/p>\n

Relying on natural immunity means requiring virtually every child to get sick and\u00a0400-500 of them die<\/a>\u00a0every year.<\/p>\n

Measles vaccination is a safe and effective way to prevent disease and protect public health. Herd immunity is critical to this protection, but it requires high vaccination rates to be effective. Vaccinated individuals are far less likely to contract measles than unvaccinated individuals, and the concept of natural immunity, while scientifically valid, comes with risks that can be avoided through vaccination.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Claims that herd immunity for measles doesn\u2019t exist are false. High vaccination rates are crucial to prevent measles outbreaks and protect public health.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"parent":0,"template":"","jtf_topic_subjects":[214,191,203,218],"class_list":["post-10280","jtf_topics","type-jtf_topics","status-publish","hentry","jtf_topic_subjects-immune-system","jtf_topic_subjects-measles","jtf_topic_subjects-mmr","jtf_topic_subjects-vaccine-safety","entry","no-media"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.voicesforvaccines.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/jtf_topics\/10280","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.voicesforvaccines.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/jtf_topics"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.voicesforvaccines.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/jtf_topics"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.voicesforvaccines.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/jtf_topics\/10280\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10364,"href":"https:\/\/www.voicesforvaccines.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/jtf_topics\/10280\/revisions\/10364"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.voicesforvaccines.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10280"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"jtf_topic_subjects","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.voicesforvaccines.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/jtf_topic_subjects?post=10280"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}