Vaccination is a major aspect of the healthcare sector as it is one of the surest ways of keeping infections and diseases from spreading. Through vaccinations, the healthcare agencies have managed to put to an end some diseases such as smallpox and measles, which used to be a threat a few decades ago. In as much as vaccinations are a public health issue it must be viewed from social, economic, cultural, and ethical lenses. In particular, there is a need to ensure that the public is informed about what the vaccinations entail in detail to avoid or rule out a conflict of interest. The need for thorough information is important especially in this era where governments, nonprofit and religious organizations aggressively campaigning for vaccination against different diseases. Moreover, it is important to ensure that vaccinations do not fuel the existing social and economic inequalities by ensuring they are accessible to all people who deserve. An analysis of the issue of vaccination reveals that a lot more needs to be done to rule out the existing inequalities as well as respect the autonomy of the target populations.
That aside, numerous ethical debates that are associated with these vaccines have risen in the past years. Most specifically there have been debates on whether the organizations handling the vaccinations ought to get informed consent (Zagaja, Patryn, Pawlikowski and Sak, 2018). Most often than not, governments, in pursuance of its agenda to keep their citizens disease-free enforces vaccination campaigns without considering the public opinion. Additionally, most governments do not take time to educate the target population on the benefits and risks that are associated with particular vaccines before their administration. Instead, citizens are expected to receive these vaccinations without being allowed to ask questions or refuse the vaccines. A refusal to get the vaccine can end up becoming a legal matter and one can get penalties for such actions that interfere with the government agenda.
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Immunization programs targeting young children and teenagers around the world are on the rise thanks to the numerous medical breakthroughs and healthcare funding. The target population is not in a position to consent to any immunization since World Health Organization (2013), puts it at 18. At times, the children and teenagers tend to receive vaccinations at their schools where their parents or guardians have no chance to give their consent. It is possible that this lack of consent will come in the way of efficiency in the vaccinations that are given to the recipients. In case, the vaccinations go wrong, the same organization that gave it may not be held liable for such mishaps. It then means that while the vaccination campaigns are compulsory, the government does not take the necessary precaution to shield the populations against misuse of vaccinations by rogue elements. In light of protecting the target population, any medical interventions should require informed consent, an ethical requirement to balance between personal autonomy and choice and protection of the target population. It is only then populations will know the true benefits of vaccines, considering there are so many myths regarding the workings of these vaccines.
Inequalities in Vaccinations
Apart from the lack of informed consent to govern the administration of vaccinations, vaccinations are disproportionate in that they are associated with social and economic injustices. It is true to say that vaccinations area major aspect of healthcare and for this reason, it must promote the wellbeing of all citizens. However, this is not the case as vaccinations are associated with social and economic inequalities when it comes to their administration. Both social and economic inequalities not only coexist but also in a continuum as they are highly related. On one hand are social inequalities, which are due to unjust policies and unjustified prejudices against a particular population.
On the other hand, are economic inequalities which are a result of unfairness in the distribution of income, opportunities, and resources based on prejudices and biased stereotypes. According to (Albertini, 2013), individuals who have been subjected to social injustices are also likely to face prevalent economic injustices. In particular, vaccines may be overpriced thus denying the populations that need them most a chance at achieving health and general well-being. In this regard, one can establish that vaccination though aimed at reducing disease burden may contribute to it if it is not equally accessible to all. The overpricing of vaccine services is an economic injustice. A continuation of such a trend creates barriers to healthcare access, which in turn further deepens social justice within the affected communities
Contemporary culture plays a significant role when it comes to perpetuating discrimination in the administration of vaccinations. Simply put, contemporary culture is the culture of people at any given time and that is prone to changes and modifications. In spite of different societies remaining focused on expressing their cultures, globalization and its realities have led to the modification of cultures. In particular, populations are becoming more and more diverse as different cultures integrate on a global scale (Baldwin, 2017). The Catholic Church is on record as having advised its followers to boycott some vaccinations, which were thought to be the government’s way of enforcing family planning. This scenario establishes that beliefs, religious groups, or philosophies associated with particular cultures can disagree with the requirement for a vaccine. It is clear then that it is possible for public health regulations on vaccines to infringe on the autonomy and liberty of an individual (Giubilini, Douglas, Savulescu, 2018). The issue of autonomy and liberty to choose whether to get the vaccines or not is a public debate that ought to be considered with much weight and equal urgency. Looking at this reality it is clear that the contemporary culture is ascites with proactive populations but it seems to interfere with the purpose of vaccinations of reducing chances of infections. In this regard, the agencies that organize for vaccinations should be aware of society’s contemporary culture and know that it may interfere with equal access to vaccinations.
The success of any vaccination campaign depends on various factors that are associated with the demographics of the target population. Mostly governments target individuals who live in disease-prone areas such as near water bodies and congested urban residential areas. At times, the target populations are those individuals who are insured or underinsured meaning that they cannot afford to get the vaccines at private healthcare facilities at a cost. While the governments may be well-intentioned, it is not automatic that the deserving population will have access to these vaccinations. The reason why this would be the case is the fact that most of the deserving populations live in far-flung areas without proper transport or communication networks. The efforts to advertise the campaigns may not bear fruit if the populations have no way of getting the information or accessing the vaccination centers. This lack of access to vaccinations only means that there is inequality in the distribution of important development resources. For this reason, emphasis should be placed on equality, equity, and fair distribution of resources and opportunities (Baldwin, 2017).
In the case of vaccines, it is important that social policies should focus on reducing the prices of vaccines and ensure that they are available to the deserving populations. Additionally, timely and proper vaccine education that includes both ethical and legal implications associated with the vaccines should be given to society members. At the end of it, most people will realize the need for the vaccines and avail themselves of vaccination campaigns.
References
Albertini, M. (2013). The relation between social class and economic inequality: A strengthening or weakening nexus? Evidence from the last three decades of inequality in Italy. Research in Social Stratification and Mobility , 33, 27-39.
Baldwin, J. (2017). Culture, prejudice, racism, and discrimination . In Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Communication.
Giubilini, A., Douglas, T., & Savulescu, J. (2018). The moral obligation to be vaccinated: utilitarianism, contractualism, and collective easy rescue. Medicine, Health Care, and Philosophy , 21(4), 547-560.
World Health Organization. (2013). Considerations regarding consent in vaccinating children and adolescents between 6 and 17 years old [Ebook] (1st ed., p. 115). Geneva, Switzerland. Retrieved from www.who.int/immunization/programmes_systems/policies_strategies/consent_note_en.pdf
Zagaja, A., Patryn, R., Pawlikowski, J., & Sak, J. (2018). Informed consent in obligatory vaccinations? Medical Science Monitor: International Medical Journal of Experimental and Clinical Research , 24, 8506–8509.
