Why Community Immunity Matters to Everyone
Vaccines work for most people, but some individuals can’t get vaccinated.
Babies are too young for certain vaccines.
Some people are allergic to an ingredient in a vaccine.
Others are immunocompromised; they are being treated for cancer, are transplant patients, or have another medical issue that prevents them from being vaccinated.
These people rely on the rest of us to help shield them from disease. We have three compelling reasons to help protect the people who cannot be vaccinated:
- The people who can’t be vaccinated are often the ones who would get the sickest if they caught the disease.
- They deserve to be protected, just like anyone else.
- Keeping our community safe is something we all can do—because we all care about each other.
Even if someone isn’t motivated by the idea of the “greater good,” there’s still a personal reason to support community immunity: the more people who are immune, the less chance there is for the disease to spread or mutate into something even more dangerous to all of us, vaccinated people included.
In short, “I protect you, and you protect me.” Most vaccines are really effective, but no vaccine is 100 percent effective—that’s another reason why community immunity matters. Even those of us who are vaccinated benefit when our community achieves herd immunity, because it reduces the risk of breakthrough infections in fully vaccinated people.
More than a century of scientific evidence shows that vaccines are well tested, with a long track record for protecting people from serious illnesses. We all want to keep our children and communities healthy. When we choose to vaccinate, we’re not just protecting our own kids—we’re helping to keep others safe too, especially those who can’t get vaccinated. It’s a simple, effective way to care for one another.
A mother's story and her son's fight for his life
In 2011, Laura B.’s two-year-old son, Ben, was battling leukemia. He had started his MMR vaccine series but couldn’t finish it due to chemotherapy. His immune system was too weak to fight off infections on its own.
Then, something terrifying happened. An unvaccinated child in Ben’s hospital unit was diagnosed with measles.
Measles is one of the most contagious diseases, and for kids like Ben, it can be deadly. To try to protect him, doctors had to give him painful treatments to boost his immune system.
Laura remembers what those treatments were like for her son:
“I looked into Ben’s innocent eyes… and could barely speak without crying. How could anyone ask Ben to fight more than leukemia? To ask him to fight a vaccine-preventable disease on top of it? It is unconscionable.”
Ben was left in severe pain and unable to walk. He spent 21 days in quarantine as his parents and doctors waited anxiously, hoping he hadn’t been exposed.
Thankfully, Ben didn’t contract measles. But for his mother, the fear was overwhelming.
Her message is simple:
Our son has already fought leukemia for three years of his life, a reality that has changed everything. I would never want him to also become a victim of a disease that should not even be in my community. Vaccines are safe and they save lives. By choosing vaccination, you will be protecting your child – and mine.
