BRAINCAKEHerd Immunity
Herd immunity occurs when so many people in a population are immune to a disease that the pathogen can no longer spread easily. Even people who are not immune are then protected, because they are unlikely to meet an infected person.
This matters because some people cannot be vaccinated or do not respond well to vaccines:
• newborn babies too young for certain vaccines
• people with weakened immune systems, for example during chemotherapy or with HIV
• people allergic to a vaccine ingredient.
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More in Response to Infection
- The Cell-Mediated Response
- Cytotoxic T Cells
- Primary and Secondary Immune Response
- Types of Immunity
- Artificial Passive Immunity
- Artificial Active Immunity - Vaccines
- Eradicating Disease
- The Pros and Cons of Vaccination
All 20 lessons in Response to Infection · All Edexcel A-level Biology topics