Herd immunity. You may have heard this term before, but if you haven’t, herd immunity occurs when most of a community’s citizens are vaccinated against a disease. Those that are vaccinated act as a shield to block disease from spreading to those who are unable to get the vaccine. The unvaccinated in such instances are those who are too sick/allergic/too young for a specific vaccine.
Herd immunity has waned due to the rise in unvaccinated people. This is especially scary in places where large pockets of communities are unvaccinated. Many children, even those who have been vaccinated, have a higher probability of getting sick, because not all vaccines are 100% effective.
Some communities in California have the highest populations of unvaccinated children in the United States.
Los Angeles-based mom, Trisha Gum, has been asking herself if she should be sending her children to play with children who have not been vaccinated. Her children have been vaccinated, yet they’re not entirely protected in communities with dwindling herd immunity.