Did You Know? Small Clusters of Unvaccinated People Pose Threat to Entire Communities

The CDC recently released vaccination coverage rates for children in kindergarten. Overall the news was good indicating that most kindergarten children (more than 90 of every 100) are vaccinated.

However, parents still need to be aware because even though the number of unvaccinated children is relatively low, diseases are more likely to gain a foothold in communities with clusters of unvaccinated children. In addition to those who choose not to vaccinate, every community will also have those who cannot be vaccinated, such as those who are too young, too weak from illness or treatment or those who have conditions or allergies that preclude immunization. Indeed, studies have shown that vaccinated children in a poorly vaccinated area are at a higher risk of getting a vaccine-preventable disease like pertussis (whooping cough) than unvaccinated children in a higher vaccinated area. Obviously, those who are most likely protected are those who are vaccinated and living in a highly vaccinated community.

The notion that a greater number of immunized people in a community keeps everyone safer from disease is known as herd immunity. Think of herd immunity in terms of a team sport. The stronger the team is as a unit, the better they are likely to fare. If one team fields a group of players in which a percentage of them are nursing injuries and another percentage is generally weaker players, the team will struggle against a team that is completely healthy and composed of all strong players. Our communities are teams. Do you know what kind of team your community is fielding?