Ethics of Mandatory Measles Vaccination & Herd Mentality

Ethics of mandatory vaccination for healthcare workers.

Healthcare workers (HCWs) are at increased risk of contracting infections at work and further transmitting them to colleagues and patients. Immune HCWs would be protected themselves and act as a barrier against the spread of infections and maintain healthcare delivery during outbreaks, but vaccine uptake rates in HCWs have often been low. In order to achieve adequate immunisation rates in HCWs,...

Mass Measles Vaccination

Young adult measles vaccination.

In 1997 the Federal Health Minister, the Hon Dr Michael Wooldridge MP announced a measles elimination program as a component of the 'Immunise Australia: Seven Point Plan'. The Measles Elimination Advisory Committee (MEAC) was charged with the task of delivering a national approach to measles elimination and now the goal of elimination is achievable. Several milestones have been passed – the Mea...

Mass Measles Vaccination

Dear Editor, I read the paper “mass measles vaccination campaign in Aila Cyclone-affected areas of West Bengal, India” by Malik and colleagues published in the December, 2011 issue of IJMS. The paper described a program of mass measles vaccination that was a good experience for health authorities.1 However, some issues should be considered in health policies for the prevention of measles. Measl...

The ethics of mandatory community treatment.

The authors present three ethical arguments to address the controversy of mandatory community treatment: rights-based versus beneficence, utilitarian, and communitarian. Each approach suggests that mandatory community treatment can be an ethical intervention for individuals with severe mental disorders in well-defined circumstances. It is critical to recognize that such interventions cannot be ...