herd immunity

[/hɜːrd ɪˈmjuːnɪti/]
noun
imunidade de rebanho
1. A form of indirect protection from infectious disease that occurs when a large percentage of a population has become immune to the disease, thereby providing protection for individuals who are not immune
When herd immunity reaches approximately 70-90% of the population, the spread of disease slows significantly.
Quando a imunidade de rebanho atinge aproximadamente 70-90% da população, a disseminação da doença desacelera significativamente.
2. The threshold level of immunization in a community needed to prevent sustained transmission of a contagious disease
Vaccination campaigns aim to achieve herd immunity to protect vulnerable populations.
As campanhas de vacinação visam alcançar a imunidade de rebanho para proteger populações vulneráveis.
The term became widely used in both English and Portuguese-speaking countries during the COVID-19 pandemic. In Brazil, public health agencies (ANVISA, Ministério da Saúde) frequently use 'imunidade de rebanho' in official documents and vaccination guidelines. The concept is central to public health policy discussions and vaccination campaigns in both the USA and Brazil.
Synonyms / Sinônimos
community immunitypopulation immunitycollective immunitygroup immunity
Antonyms / Antônimos
individual immunitypandemic threshold

Regional Variations

General Brazilian Portuguese
imunidade de rebanho
Standard term used in public health and medical contexts
Rio de Janeiro
imunidade coletiva
Alternative term sometimes preferred in medical literature
São Paulo
imunidade de rebanho
Widely used in academic and health policy discussions
Portugal
imunidade de grupo
Portuguese variant using 'grupo' instead of 'rebanho'

Related Words

vaccinationimmunizationdisease transmissionepidemicimmunity thresholdvulnerable populationinfection rate

Related Idioms & Phrases

reach herd immunity threshold
build herd immunity through vaccination
achieve collective protection
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