Journal article
‘‘Herd Immunity’’: A Rough Guide
The term ‘‘herd immunity’’ is widely used but carries a variety of meanings [1–7]. Some authors use it to describe the proportion immune among individuals in a population. Others use it with reference to a particular threshold proportion of immune individuals that should lead to a decline in incidence of infection. Still others use it to refer to a pattern of immunity that should protect a population from invasion of a new infection. A common implication of the term is that the risk of infection among susceptible individuals in a population is reduced by the presence and proximity of immune individuals (this is sometimes referred to as ‘‘indirect protection’’ or a ‘‘herd effect’’). We provide brief historical, epidemiologic, theoretical, and pragmatic public health perspectives on this concept.
Authors
Languages
- English
Publication year
2011
Journal
Clin Infect Dis.
Volume
7
Type
Journal article
Categories
- Service delivery
Tags
- Coverage monitoring
- Health promotion
