Totally agree, if the assumptions made on that theory were correct. The fact is, many of the diseases we get vaccinated against: rabies, polio, small pox, chicken pox, etc. Are not spread through the air. And pretty much everyone was voluntarily vaccinated for those.
Meaning the less people around you who have the disease the better, as you pointed out this is the general idea. That totally breaks down for air born pathogens that aren't spread via feceal matter, saliva, etc. one sneeze on a railing a train station can spread across 10000 people. We will always come in contact with it, vaccines may help, but yeah... it doesn't spread node to node as chicken pox, more like node to 100 X node.
We haven't even come close to solving air born pathogens.
Also, I'd argue that many of the reductions in disease rates have more to do with better plumbing and teaching people to stay home as opposed than vaccines. Both help, but the theory is just that a theory, with some pretty large holes and ignores the easy international travel, air born illness, and the evidence doesn't really have enough behind it to say "everyone has to be vaccinated"
> The fact is, many of the diseases we get vaccinated against: rabies, polio, small pox, chicken pox, etc. Are not spread through the air.
Whether a disease is airborne or not is somewhat irrelevant here (its obviously relevant to how easy it is to spread, but as long as a disease is communicable by some kind of contact, the increased danger from unvaccinated members of the population is qualitatively similar.)
> Meaning the less people around you who have the disease the better, as you pointed out this is the general idea. That totally breaks down for air born pathogens that aren't spread via feceal matter, saliva, etc.
No, it doesn't; it changes the shape of the "increased risk" curve resulting from changes in vaccination compliance, but it doesn't change that there is such an increased risk.
> Also, I'd argue that many of the reductions in disease rates have more to do with better plumbing and teaching people to stay home as opposed than vaccines.
Yes, that those things have reduced disease rates for many diseases is a well-established fact, not really a point in any kind of contention.
Meaning the less people around you who have the disease the better, as you pointed out this is the general idea. That totally breaks down for air born pathogens that aren't spread via feceal matter, saliva, etc. one sneeze on a railing a train station can spread across 10000 people. We will always come in contact with it, vaccines may help, but yeah... it doesn't spread node to node as chicken pox, more like node to 100 X node.
We haven't even come close to solving air born pathogens.
Also, I'd argue that many of the reductions in disease rates have more to do with better plumbing and teaching people to stay home as opposed than vaccines. Both help, but the theory is just that a theory, with some pretty large holes and ignores the easy international travel, air born illness, and the evidence doesn't really have enough behind it to say "everyone has to be vaccinated"