Canada just lost its measles-free status. So here’s the question…
If an unvaccinated child spreads measles to someone else’s kid, why shouldn’t the parents be liable in small-claims court?
I’m not talking about criminal charges, just basic responsibility. If your choice creates the risk you should have to prove you weren’t the reason someone else’s child got sick.
Is that unreasonable?
Not all vaccines are 100% effective, and not everyone is able to get a vaccine (such as immune suppressed or immune compromised).
Even if the vaccine is only partially effective, it will reduce the viral load and speed up recovery time, which is very effective at reducing the number of people that a vaccinated person can spread their illness to.
To prevent an outbreak, an infected person must spread their disease to an average of less than 1 person. Having more people vaccinated is the easiest way to reduce this number.
An immune suppressed person can still be protected by having a majority of people vaccinated, and therefore unlikely to spread a disease to a person who interacts with them.
That makes sense, thanks for explaining! I do agree that vaccines are the best way to contain a virus. I was just wondering this, how a unvaccinated person could pose harm to others, vaccinated or not. But yeah, it’s better to not take that risk.
To put it simply, pathogens are like roach infestations. You can do everything in your power to keep your apartment clean and tidy and bug free, but if your neighbour’s apartment is a spawning ground for the little shits, sooner or later they’re going to make their way in no matter what you do.
It takes everyone, working together, to make us all safe from deadly diseases. That’s how herd immunity works.