Selfishness and Altruism
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Whether looking out for your own best interest or the interest of others, getting vaccinated can be both selfish and altruistic.
In the absence of mass vaccinations, infectious diseases spread easier. The people an infected individual comes into contact with are not likely be equipped to produce the antibodies needed to defend against these diseases. Vulnerable to the disease, these people will likely become additional carriers, continue to spread the disease, and potentially cause an outbreak. This chain effect has no visible end.
Red represents infected individuals
Purple represents unvaccinated individuals
In the presence of mass vaccinations, diseases are more likely to end where they started. In the exceptional event that someone catches something dangerous and contagious because they weren’t vaccinated, there will not be a large scale outbreak. Though there could be some people who are infected by this initial carrier, the consequences would not be massive.
Red represents infected individuals
Purple represents unvaccinated individuals
Grey represents vaccinated individuals
Not only does an individual’s decision to vaccinate prevent themselves from catching an illness but it prevents them from carrying the disease to someone who is not.
