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Informative Article | Health and Medical Sciences | India | Volume 11 Issue 6, June 2022

Vaccination Mandates - Impacts & Ethics

Swapna Nadakuditi

Abstract: The invention and the wide use of immunizations across the globe has significantly reduced and in some cases eradicated infectious diseases globally. Though vaccines just like other medications come with its own risk for few patients, the difference is vaccines are given to healthy members and the benefit of the vaccination is beyond the individual who received it thereby benefiting the population health through herd immunity. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) works alongside the public health agencies and private organizations to expand and keep up with the immunization coverage and to monitor the safety of immunizations. Despite the usefulness of vaccines currently there are no federal laws regulating the immunizations and each stage has their own laws to encourage vaccinations. As the public health laws follow the utilitarianism rule it is ethical for CDC to work with the federal and state health agencies in enforcing vaccinations in the event of pandemics[1]. However, mandating vaccinations also needs to take into consideration the ethical issues of individual rights. Therefore, it is important to have a balance between the collective good and the rights of individual and informed consent.

Keywords: Vaccination, CDC, Ethics, herd immunity, population health, epidemics

Edition: Volume 11 Issue 6, June 2022,

Pages: 1988 - 1990