Vaccination and Morality and the History of Mass Vaccination - Essay Example

Edward Jenner’s smallpox vaccine which was developed from cowpox provided the much-needed remedy for the dreaded disease and currently, the world is free of smallpox infection. Since then, many vaccines have been developed and they have saved many lives besides enhancing the life expectancy of people on earth. Vaccines have eliminated once infectious diseases such as polio, yellow fever, and leprosy in European countries, though low prevalence rates of these infections are still recorded in various parts of the developing world. Following the benefits of vaccination, I have a moral obligation to society and myself to be vaccinated to preserve my health and protect another member from being infected.

Vaccines are important medical interventions for saving lives and protecting people in society from becoming sick (Maxcy, 1998). The prevalence of disease in any population is a huge impediment to economic growth that undermines development in all societies. Highly infectious diseases reduce the labor force in society, especially when it affects the most productive demographic group. In addition, high child mortality occurs in societies with high prevalence rates of fatal and infectious diseases. This results in heavy economic losses, arising from the lost manpower hours that occur from absenteeism, bed rests, and hospital admissions. The importance of vaccination in society cannot be overemphasized. According to Maxcy (1998), life expectancy has increased dramatically worldwide, compared to the last one hundred years. This has resulted in high populations that provide labor and a market for the growing economies.

Vaccination is not simply an individual decision from which the person benefits or suffers. In contemporary society, the life of each individual directly or indirectly affects that of another person. This implies that every society has a moral right of withholding practices that ensure the safety and health of every member. The society comprises different categories of people, with varying health statuses and different health needs. Children and the elderly are very vulnerable groups, prone to infections that easily incapacitate or cause death. These groups rely on the other table groups in the population to provide security and health. Children rely on their parents for protection just like the elderly rely on their children to take care of them during old age. Failure of a guardian to vaccinate his or her child from infection is morally wrong because the child is not mature enough to make independent decisions about her or his life. Moreover, a child or anybody who is not vaccinated presents a health hazard to the rest of the community members.

I have a moral obligation to the society and myself to be vaccinated. As a person, I am aware that my health and life are of great importance to society and me. I have dreams, goals, and aspirations that keep me going and they determine my purpose here on the planet. In this respect, I am aware that failure to become vaccinated against serious infections makes me vulnerable to disease that affects my health and subsequent productivity at work and my studies. As a responsible citizen in the country, I am aware that the state of health of other vulnerable people depends on me. The decisions that I make about my health determine their health as well and therefore failing to become vaccinated is morally wrong because it exposes them to mortal danger.

However, there are situations in which I am not morally obliged to society to become vaccinated. The situation includes when the vaccine itself presents a more serious health problem to me than the disease itself. In such a situation, I am morally obliged to encourage and inform other members about the importance of vaccination to ensure that a large proportion of people as possible receive the vaccine to reduce the chances of infecting others.

Conclusion
Vaccination is an important health exercise that offers crucial benefits to an individual and society. Diseases are costly to all sectors of the economy and preventive interventions through vaccination provide cost-effective ways of mitigating the effects of ill health. Moreover, the health of vulnerable groups in society and other people who are incapable of making their own health decisions rely on me. Failure to make sound health judgment about vaccination exposes these groups to ill health, which eventually undermine their quality of life on earth. Therefore, it is my moral obligation to be vaccinated to protect society and myself from ill health. Read More