What happens when a sufficient proportion of the population is immune?

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Multiple Choice

What happens when a sufficient proportion of the population is immune?

When enough people are immune, the pathogen has fewer susceptible hosts to infect, so the spread slows and outbreaks become unlikely. This herd protection also shields those who aren’t immune, such as people who can’t be vaccinated or for whom immunity hasn’t developed yet. It doesn’t wipe the disease out everywhere instantly, and it doesn’t make vaccination unnecessary in the future—immunity can wane and new variants or populations can still be at risk. So the best description is that disease transmission decreases, protecting the unvaccinated.

When enough people are immune, the pathogen has fewer susceptible hosts to infect, so the spread slows and outbreaks become unlikely. This herd protection also shields those who aren’t immune, such as people who can’t be vaccinated or for whom immunity hasn’t developed yet. It doesn’t wipe the disease out everywhere instantly, and it doesn’t make vaccination unnecessary in the future—immunity can wane and new variants or populations can still be at risk. So the best description is that disease transmission decreases, protecting the unvaccinated.

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