Immunizations are designed to produce immunity. Vaccinations are responsible for preventing millions of deaths and for the near eradication of life-threatening and preventable diseases like smallpox. Additionally, proper immunizations create herd immunity, which is the protection generated within a community by high vaccination rates. It is difficult for a disease to gain a foothold in a community that is properly vaccinated against it. The importance of herd immunity is to protect the most vulnerable members of the community, such as newborns or those with chronic conditions, by reducing the chances of an outbreak of a disease they can’t receive an immunization for directly.