We are here to increase the health and safety of all Wisconsinites by encouraging immunization against vaccine-preventable diseases. We answer questions that people, especially parents or parents-to-be, may have about vaccines and the vaccination process. We present accurate, up-to-date, scientifically verified information in a patient-friendly manner.
We believe in listening to concerns and that there are no dumb questions. We believe that increasing vaccination rates leads to a healthier population.
Ryan Bender, PharmD
Clinical Director
Got a Question?
Chances are, we have an answer. At the very least we can guide you to somebody who does.
Herd immunity, also called community immunity, is the immunity that an entire population gets against a disease, even though each individual may not be immune.
This is possible because if more members of a community are immunized, fewer viruses and bacteria are able to spread through the community and infect those who are not immune (15). When vaccination rates fall below a critical point (85% to 95% for most vaccine-preventable diseases), people who are not immune to the disease start getting sick (16). Some members of the community cannot get a vaccine for medical reasons, such as an allergy to a vaccine component, medical conditions like cancer or an immune deficiency, or immunosuppressive medical therapy (needing to have medical treatment that suppresses the immune system). For these individuals, herd immunity is the only immunity they have (17, 18).
Why Are We Here?
Herd Wisconsin was founded to be a reliable resource for accurate and current information for immunizations. We are here to help answer questions and address concerns people may have about vaccines.
Why should I believe the answers to these questions?
The answer is science. Making an observation, creating a hypothesis, performing experiments, testing the hypothesis and accepting, rejecting or modifying the hypothesis based on the results, and then repeating the experiment — this whole process is called the scientific method.
You can have confidence in a theory or hypothesis when you see the same experiment lead to the same results, over and over again – regardless of who is performing the experiment. The more times the same results are produced, the more trust and confidence you can have that they are results you can rely on.
The key question is, are the same results reproduced when someone else performs the experiment? This is the guideline we have used on this website to choose what articles and sources to reference, to back up the information we’ve provided you on this site. Please check the citations page for the answers to the questions on this site. Note the wide variety of sources we’ve drawn from, across long periods of time from around the globe. Read the methods the authors used and see for yourself what you think.
The good thing about science is that it’s true whether or not you believe in it.
