From the Executive Director
A vaccine injection takes just a few seconds. But it protects us against what is otherwise a very dangerous disease when the antibodies are produced. If the majority of a population gets vaccinated, herd immunity can be achieved. Unfortunately, people in so many places in the world have to go through a lot for these few seconds.
I remember the year I visited an MSF field project in Democratic Republic of Congo, when the emergency team had to respond to one of the measles outbreaks by conducting a mass vaccination campaign in the Lubunga district. I realised then that no matter how well-prepared we are, we still have to cross a series of hurdles — customs, regional administrations, weather, people's perception of vaccines and so on. Overcoming these difficulties requires months or even years of effort. That's why each successful jab is a wonder to me.
Because of this first-hand experience, the title “The Long Road to Herd Immunity” of this issue of Borderline reminds me of all the bumps in the road. In the COVID-19 pandemic, when vaccine doses are still far too few for everyone, the wonder of successful jabs seems even harder to reach. In many countries, health systems have been heavily hit and the recent experience in Brazil and India has been devastating. In some places, where routine vaccination campaigns have been put off, other diseases are emerging and spreading again. If one day we can get to herd immunity here in Hong Kong, can we alone really escape from the virus?
How long really is the road to our herd immunity? Let's have a glimpse.
Jenny Tung
Executive Director, MSF Hong Kong
