6 ms·
No unless you're at risk (old person or with medical issues) you usually don't get the flu shot. The reason is to actually to build the so-called "herd immunity
by luch 7y ago
No unless you're at risk (old person or with medical issues) you usually don't get the flu shot. The reason is to actually to build the so-called "herd immunity" I think. Same thing with antibiotics (no need to give evolutionary "ammunition" to virus and bacteria if we don't need to).
- gruez 7y ago>The reason is to actually to build the so-called "herd immunity" I think. Same thing with antibiotics (no need to give evolutionary "ammunition" to virus and bacteria if we don't need to). I don't think that's the right comparison. Herd immunity refers to stopping a disease by spreading by making enough of the population immune so it can't spread. It doesn't have anything to do with evolutionary pressures or superbugs, like what you're alluding to with your second sentence.
- wool_gather 7y agoThere's a misunderstanding here. Vaccine confers immunity to an individual. Herd immunity means that an infection cannot get a foothold in a community if a certain portion of the members are immune. Widespread vaccination is important exactly because it produces herd immunity.