OPINION: Protecting the herd

A large gathering of birds is a flock, lions gather together to form a pride and fish swim in schools.
But what do you call a big bunch of humans?|

The collection of people that inhabit the Earth (seven billion plus at last count) is often referred to as a herd of humanity and the health of our herd has recently been questioned.

The root of the question is something called “herd immunity” which is a natural process protecting us somewhat from infectious diseases such as measles and smallpox.

If a large enough portion of the population has immunity to a particular disease (95% in the case of measles) the chain of infection will be broken and the disease will disappear.

While natural immunity can be gained by individuals catching and surviving the infection, herd immunity can be achieved through widespread vaccination.

The virus simply has no susceptible human hosts left to colonize and at that point our herd is safe from future infections.

This is how we were able to eradicate the scourge of smallpox from our population – the last recorded case was in October, 1977.
In a feat of human compassion and cooperation not seen before or since, the World Health Organization successfully organized a world-wide vaccination program.

This effort was aided by the horrific reputation and rumors surrounding this killer disease.

Early symptoms resembled the flu - followed by fever, malaise, headache, vomiting, severe backache and delirium.

Two to four days later a deep seated rash progresses through the stages of macules, papules, vesicles, pustules and eventually, crusted scabs.

There were no long-lasting side effects from the vaccine except for worldwide health and happiness when the disease was finally defeated.

Anybody born before 1977 carries the one noticeable side-effect of the vaccination – a shiny, round patch somewhere on their upper arm caused by the shot.

This is a small price to pay for the eradication of smallpox – if we ever get our act together again we could also eliminate measles and polio from the herd.

In view of recent developments however, we may be a long way from further enhancing our herd’s immunity, as the recent measles outbreak has illustrated.

There has been a backlash against vaccinations lately, fueled by fear and misinformation, and one of the miracles of modern preventive medicine is being viewed suspiciously.

An increasing number of parents are refusing to have their children vaccinated for fear that it may have unwanted side effects or cause other, even worse diseases.

This growing feeling of dread can be traced back to 1998 when one researcher raised concerns about a possible link between the measles/mumps/rubella vaccine, and autism.

The study was later found to be seriously flawed and the paper was retracted from publication.

It turned out that the author was being paid by a law firm that was intending to sue the manufacturer of the vaccine with the damning evidence.

He later lost his medical license when it was discovered that he altered or misrepresented data on the twelve children who were the basis of his conclusion.

The British Medical Journal called it an “elaborate fraud” that has caused serious harm to public health the world over.
It comes down to basic human rights.

Does the human herd’s right to safety, health and security override the individual’s right to become infected with a disease and then circulate among the herd?

Citizens of the world are facing this question – the viruses and bacteria of the world are eagerly anticipating the answer.
Time will tell if we are still the same herd that beat smallpox in 1977.