Large-scale adoption of simple, individual actions — like disinfecting our germ-laden phone screens — can limit the ability of COVID-19 to get a foothold.
Articles on Herd immunity
Displaying 101 - 120 of 122 articles
From fear of needles to religious beliefs, there are all sorts of reasons why people choose not to vaccinate.
When a certain percentage of a population has been vaccinated, it prevents an infectious disease from spreading. But that threshold depends on the disease.
Measles cases in the US have reached their highest in 25 years. A bioethicist argues why parents opposed to vaccination are not just wrong about the science, but about the morals.
Recent measles outbreaks show the dangers of not vaccinating – and the importance of vaccination. Is there a way to accommodate those religiously opposed to vaccination and minimize other exemptions?
Billboards spreading misinformation on the risks of vaccination have popped up around American cities. A bioethicist explains why decisions not to vaccinate children are indefensible.
Your risk of a heart attack increases 600 per cent within a week of catching the flu. The flu shot decreases that risk, whether you catch the flu or not.
Stating a majority of people won’t benefit from a vaccine ignores the purpose of immunisation programs.
The flu vaccine isn’t perfect but it’s the best way to protect against these potentially harmful viruses. Most children aged six months to five years are eligible for a free vaccine in 2018.
A recent study suggests that shunning parents who are reluctant to vaccinate their kids isn’t the best strategy. A better strategy might be old-fashioned, but it works.
We can’t keep blaming the MMR-autism scare – there are other forces at play.
During a disease outbreak, lots of people can become infected in a short time and develop immunity, making it hard for the pathogen to spread.
Overall rates of vaccine objection have remained largely unchanged since 2001.
When a high proportion of a community is immune it becomes hard for diseases to spread from person to person – a phenomenon known as herd immunity.
If people are avoiding the flu jab because last year’s protection wasn’t great, that would be a mistake.
The plan to withhold payments of child-care and family tax benefits for unvaccinated children could cost non-compliant parents up to A$15,000 a year. But is it ethical to punish parents?
As if the children of Syria had not suffered enough, the news of an outbreak of polio (poliomyelitis) signals that even more suffering lies ahead. The polio virus invades the nervous system and can kill…
New South Wales has become the latest Australian state to issue an alert about a measles outbreak, joining Victoria and Queensland. Queensland’s chief health officer has even written directly to parents…
Dr Seuss’ book Green Eggs and Ham is built around the urgings of a weird creature, Sam I Am, who insists the narrator eat the food of its title. When the narrator refuses, Sam issues an ever-widening range…
When I was an infant I had whooping cough and was ill for three months. I don’t remember it, of course, but I know it was very distressing for my parents. I do remember later trips with my researcher father…
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Professor of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Strathclyde
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Head of School of Population Health and Professor, Infectious Diseases Dynamics and Interventions, UNSW
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