Biomaterial Database

Herd Immunity. 2019

David R Smith

Department of Pathobiology and Population Medicine, Mississippi State University College of Veterinary Medicine, PO Box 9100, 240 Wise Center Drive, Mississippi State, MS 39762, USA. Electronic address: david.smith@msstate.edu.

Herd immunity is an important concept of epidemic theory regarding the population-level effect of individual immunity to prevent transmission of pathogens. Herd immunity exists when sufficient numbers of animals in a group or population have immunity against an agent such that the likelihood of an effective contact between diseased and susceptible individuals is reduced. Understanding herd immunity requires consideration of infection dynamics, modes of transmission, as well as the acquisition of immunity by individuals in the population. Loss of herd immunity may also explain age-associated epidemics of disease related to loss of passively acquired maternal immunity.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000818	Animals	Unicellular or multicellular, heterotrophic organisms, that have sensation and the power of voluntary movement. Under the older five kingdom paradigm, Animalia was one of the kingdoms. Under the modern three domain model, Animalia represents one of the many groups in the domain EUKARYOTA.	Animal,Metazoa,Animalia
D014611	Vaccination	Administration of vaccines to stimulate the host's immune response. This includes any preparation intended for active immunological prophylaxis.	Immunization, Active,Active Immunization,Active Immunizations,Immunizations, Active,Vaccinations
D058872	Epidemics	Sudden outbreaks of a disease in a country or region not previously recognized in that area, or a rapid increase in the number of new cases of a previous existing endemic disease. Epidemics can also refer to outbreaks of disease in animal or plant populations.
D032521	Immunity, Herd	The state of a community in which a significant proportion of its population becomes immune to an infectious disease, and the risk of person-to-person transmission decreases. Individuals who are not immune and susceptible are indirectly protected because ongoing disease spread is very small.	Community Immunity,Herd Immunity,Population Immunity,Community Immunities,Immunity, Community,Immunity, Population