Why would @WHO change the definition Herd Immunity a term coined in 1923?
Is it their expert preference or something to do with it being an mRNA vaccine which is not mentioned? But i'm sure they'll just amend the record later.
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/different-vaccines/mrna.html
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@agnumasalis
Because herd immunity only really makes any sense to talk about when you're doing vaccinations.
While you get immunity after having been infected with a disease, actually developing herd immunity only through natural infections is nigh impossible. And it's also not really desirable to aim for herd immunity through normal infections. Think about polio for instance. Most of the time it's much too high a risk to attempt this tactic. Vaccines are much safer by comparison.
While I can't say that I agree with how they tried to eliminated the concept of gaining immunity from surviving an infectious disease, the new version of the article is still far more useful, more accurate, and better at explaining how things work.
Besides, I would argue that "Vaccines train our immune systems to create proteins that fight disease, known as ‘antibodies’, just as would happen when we are exposed to a disease" still implies that even being infected and recovering adds you to the herd immunity pool.
P.S. That's also not really a definition for herd immunity per say. It's a short article meant for laymen people, so they get a general understanding of the concept.
@alyx
It being an mRNA vaccine may cover the drop of exposure sans vaccination more than anything.
"Only really makes sense" goes against what the WHO & other 'experts' have & are still doing eg recent Brazil Zika case.
Come up with a different term if you want. A tested & measured injection can give more control than the typical childhood have kids over for a chicken pox party but just write that in the 'short article' or they think people are too dumb to understand?
https://www.centerforhealthsecurity.org/cbn/2017/cbnreport_11172017.html
@agnumasalis
>or they think people are too dumb to understand?
Yes. Because most people are either dumb (after all, half of all humans are by definition below average IQ) or are just ignorant about the medical field (which is completely fine, not everyone can be an expert in everything).
>"Only really makes sense" goes against what the WHO & other 'experts' have & are still doing eg recent Brazil Zika case.
The situation your citing is quite different though. And it's not like WHO intentionally went to try to create a herd immunity situation by normal infection. They even mention that (at the time of writing) a vaccine hadn't been finished yet. So it's not like this local herd immunity they discovered was part of anyone's plan. They probably didn't expect it, but they seemed thankful this was something that developed.
As for the chicken pox parties. Americans have been doing those for decades, and although you become immune for life once you've had it, somehow the virus hasn't been eliminated from the population. Doesn't that hint that herd immunity via exposure is not a reliable thing? Same goes for all childhood diseases. How come non-vaccination herd immunity hasn't wiped them out of existence?
@agnumasalis
>Even with this mRNA vaccine there is no exposure to the virus in it.
With any vaccine there is no exposure to the actual virus. So I'm not sure I understand what you're trying to say here.
Some vaccines most definitely do include exposure to the virus in a controlled dose and form. This mRNA is a relatively new tech that could reduce the clear harm of putting viruses into people
@alyx a cast is more reliable to setting a break but again my point here was that they changed from cast and time off the leg to bone is healed after you wear a cast.
Even with this mRNA vaccine there is no exposure to the virus in it.
Point stands that herd immunity was coined to refer to the process with or without human researched vaccinations. Pox still here but many diseases & viruses have gone sans vaccine (i had mine in france or kenya). WHO goofed here if they want to raise confidence.