Introduction
Vaccination plays an essential role in the arsenal of preventive healthcare. Vaccines have significantly reduced the incidence of once widespread childhood diseases, nearly extinguished malaria and polio, and eradicated smallpox (Hussain et al., 2018). However, an increasing number of people have come to oppose vaccination on personal or ideological grounds, undermining the protection it provides. This opposition creates a complicated ethical conflict between the principles of public good and personal choice (Hendrix et al., 2016). Specific issues connected to that conflict include misinformation and communication about vaccines, vaccine exemptions, and the dismissal of vaccine-refusing families from practice.
Vaccination as a Public Good
Vaccination protects all of society, including people who refuse vaccines. This effect is achieved through herd immunity, which occurs when most of the population becomes immune to a disease, preventing it from spreading (Hussain et al., 2018). People who benefit from herd immunity without using vaccines are described as “free-riders” (Hendrix et al., 2016, p. 274). When enough people opt out of vaccination, herd immunity is lost. Vaccination can be seen as an ethical responsibility for individuals with no medical contraindications. Similarly, mandatory vaccination may be viewed as a necessary violation of personal choice for the sake of public interest.
Why People Refuse Vaccines
People’s resistance to vaccination stems from a variety of factors. Many traditional objections stem from religious or philosophical beliefs that vaccination is, in some way, unnatural or immoral (Hendrix et al., 2016). Many people are also skeptical about the efficacy or the safety of vaccines. This concern has been enhanced by the present-day anti-vaccination movement, which alleges a link between vaccines and autism (Hussain et al., 2018). Additionally, some individuals have legitimate concerns about medical contraindications or side effects. Some people reject all vaccines, but others may accept some and reject others. In most cases, resistance to vaccines is a matter of personal choice.
Misinformation and Communication About Vaccines
Information transmission failures are a significant complicating factor in individual decision-making about vaccination. People are often unable to make informed ethical decisions due to health communication failures and misinformation campaigns. The anti-vaccination movement facilitates the dissemination of inaccurate or false information about vaccines (Hussain et al., 2018). Educating the population with accurate information about the vaccines’ efficacy and medical and social benefits helps promote the public good. It is also necessary to enable them to provide genuinely informed consent. Communications about vaccines must also include information about contraindications and side effects.
Vaccine Exemptions and Refusers
Vaccination exemptions may be divided into exemptions on medical and nonmedical grounds. Medical exemptions can be granted when there are known contraindications or precautions for the vaccine. Nonmedical precautions, which are based on personal beliefs, have become controversial because they are seen as less critical (Hendrix et al., 2016). The public interest requires that exemptions should be granted to as few people as possible, but some situations merit exemptions (Hussain et al., 2018). Families that reject vaccination are often dismissed by their practitioners due to the threat they pose to other patients (Hendrix et al., 2016). However, this reaction is ethically questionable and prevents vaccine education.
Vaccine Ethical Framework
As can be seen, there are many serious ethical issues connected to vaccination. The contradiction between the demands of the public good and the need to respect personal choice is central to most of them. Communication problems and individual health circumstances can complicate matters further. Resolving this complex set of issues requires developing a comprehensive ethical framework that would find an optimal balance between public interest and personal choice. As the loss of herd immunity threatens significant harm to others, preference should be given to considerations of the public good. Nevertheless, individual preferences and circumstances should be respected as much as possible.
References
Hendrix, K. S., Sturm, L. A., Zimet, G. D., & Meslin, E. M. (2016). Ethics and childhood vaccination policy in the United States. American journal of public health, 106(2), 273-278. Web.
Hussain, A., Ali, S., Ahmed, M., & Hussain, S. (2018). The anti-vaccination movement: a regression in modern medicine. Cureus, 10(7), e2919. Web.