Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 28, 2025

Evaluation of Host-Pathogen Responses and Vaccine Efficacy in Mice
Published on: February 22, 2019
The devil in the details: Herd immunity and pandemic response
Beau Schaeffer1, Bradford Taylor1, Mary Bushman1
1Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, 02115, USA.
Abstract:
If enough individuals in a population are immune to a pathogen, it cannot cause an outbreak. Deliberately seeking such herd immunity through infection during a potentially lethal pandemic is contrary to all principles of public health, given the potential for uncontrolled outbreaks and risks to vulnerable populations.
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