Once the immunization rate of a given population drops below 70%, the chances of an outbreak spreading out of control are much higher. Sick children will come into contact with a greater number of children who are not immunized, and the disease will spread quickly.
Since it is clearly dangerous for a community to have many unprotected members, why do some parents resist vaccinations? Parents sometimes hear vaccinations are dangerous, so they choose not to have their children immunized. While vaccines can have side effects that can be severe the risk that an unprotected child will get sick in a large outbreak is much higher than the risk of getting sick from side effects. Although social media shows how interconnected we are, it also allows misinformation to spread very quickly. Many parents base their beliefs on unreliable information, and have lost trust in modern medicine. Thus, doctors and governmental organizations need to find ways to restore that trust, and must educate the public about the benefits and risks of immunization. As more people get immunized, the probability of living a long healthy life will improve.