Diving Deep into the Heated Debate: Should Vaccines Be Mandated for Public Health

The Concept of Herd Immunity

Herd immunity is a key concept in the vaccine debate. It refers to the protection that vaccination provides not just to individuals, but to entire communities. When a high enough percentage of a population is vaccinated, it becomes difficult for a disease to spread. This protects those who cannot be vaccinated, such as newborns or people with certain medical conditions. However, achieving herd immunity requires a high vaccination rate, which leads us to the question: should vaccination be mandatory?