How do vaccinations work to protect individuals and communities from infectious diseases, and what is herd immunity?

Hello ! I ' m here to help you with your question . V acc in ations are an effective way to protect individuals and communities from inf ect ious dise ases by introdu cing a small , har ml ess piece of a path ogen ( like a virus or b acter ia ) to the body , which triggers the imm une system to produce ant ib od ies that can recognize and fight off the real path ogen if it enters the body in the future . \n When a large percentage of a population is v acc in ated , it creates a collect ive imm unity , known as her d imm unity , which helps protect those who are not v acc in ated , such as individuals who are too young to receive v acc ines or those with weak ened imm une systems . This is because the fewer individuals who are sus cept ible to a disease in a population , the less likely it is to spread and cause out break s . \n H erd imm unity is important because it helps prevent the spread of inf ect ious dise ases in a community , which can protect not only the individuals who are v acc in ated but also those who are not v acc in ated , such as new born s , elder ly individuals , and people with weak ened imm une systems . \n It ' s important to note that her d imm unity only works when a sufficient percentage of the population is v acc in ated , typically defined as 9 0 % to 9 5 % of the population . If is why it ' s important to get v acc in ated not only for your own protection but also to help protect vulner able individuals in the community who may be more sus cept ible to serious ill ness . \n I hope this helps clarify how v acc in ations work and the importance of her d imm unity ! Let me know if you have any other questions . </s>