I want to clarify that herd immunity was not the operating principle they were touting when smallpox was globally "eradicated". If it was, they would have made smallpox vax mandatory everywhere.
What they actually did was locate any outbreaks and immediately vaccinate everyone in the area.
This is not a "herd immunity" approach which implies 1) tolerance for pockets of disease and 2) mass vaccination. What happened was an active eradication approach where the virus is contained and prevented from leaving the area.
Furthermore, currently most civilians are not immunized or immune to smallpox...so obviously herd immunity is not what's keeping us safe from smallpox. It was the eradication.
Yes, they're fucking with the perception of herd immunity right now, but it isn't the first time they've done so. I really think it's a simply a malleable propaganda tool they use to steer us to the behavior they want.
I want to clarify that herd immunity was not the operating principle they were touting when smallpox was globally "eradicated". If it was, they would have made smallpox vax mandatory everywhere.
What they actually did was locate any outbreaks and immediately vaccinate everyone in the area.
This is not a "herd immunity" approach which implies 1) tolerance for pockets of disease and 2) mass vaccination. What happened was an active eradication approach where the virus is contained and prevented from leaving the area.
Furthermore, currently most civilians are not immunized or immune to smallpox...so obviously herd immunity is not what's keeping us safe from smallpox. It was the eradication.
Yes, they're fucking with the perception of herd immunity right now, but it isn't the first time they've done so. I really think it's a simply a malleable propaganda tool they use to steer us to the behavior they want.