The Vaccine And The Ethics Of Mandatory Vaccination

The History of the Vaccine and the Ethics of Mandatory Vaccination in the Workplace.

For more than two centuries human beings have benefited from vaccines. Today, the active vaccination of our populations, whether it be in a professional setting, such as a healthcare clinic or hospital, a military environment, or a simple civilian surrounding, has proven to be the most powerful and cost-effective method for controlling infection. On a global scale, the current diversity, scope, and use of vaccines is unprecedented, with new technologies and scientific developments aggressively combating the expansive range of infections that are frequently appearing, as they attempt to threaten our diverse human populations. Although, the vaccine is recognized and acknowledged as one of the greatest success stories of the twentieth century, the history of the modern day vaccine in the United States has had an interesting and lengthy past. Today, vaccines have garnered much attention in the country through new mandatory employment vaccination policies, various laws, acts, and legislation regulating the nationwide application and distribution of vaccines, as well as numerous heated debates challenging the validity of vaccines and its affects on our nations children. Furthermore, as the global threat of infectious diseases increases, the World Health Organization has taken a strong foothold in the worldwide fight against infection.

A vaccine is defined as a biological composition, which prepares and advances the active procured immunity to a specific disease. It is the active administration of the vaccine through the vaccination, which has been studied and proven to be the most effective method for confronting and resisting inf...

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... the workforce. From these findings, new and effective strategies and policies have been deployed requiring mandatory vaccinations throughout the healthcare industry. Moreover, as an alternative, certain policies allow the individual entering a healthcare facility the option to forego the vaccination, especially during the influenza season, and actively apply a facial mask when in a patient care area (Born, Ikura, Laupacis, 2014). Although an organization’s communication of the risks of vaccinations has often caused alarm, anxiety, and outrage with many of its workers, the very act of providing the educational resources, following a strict code of conduct, as well as following the ethical principle of beneficence, has giving the government and all healthcare organizations the authority to enforce and implement the necessary effective mandatory vaccination policies.