Individual Rights and Vaccination Policy Analysis

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The emerging and re-emerging preventable diseases call for unity in all nations to avail and pursue vaccination programs to gain herd immunity. This can reduce disease transmission, thereby gradually decreasing mortality and morbidity, mainly related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Hendrix et al. (2016) state that various groups oppose governments’ proposals to vaccinate the public, particularly the children in schools, to help bring back face-to-face classes despite the need for vaccination. The decision on vaccinating this population involves weighing public safety and parents’ autonomy, and both are equally important.
Many ethical considerations must be tackled before promulgating the vaccination of children in schools. The decision should balance the public's needs, opinions of the experts, capacity of the government, and the child’s rights (i.e., assent) and the parents (i.e., consent). Concerning public health policy, vaccination for preventable diseases is supported by governments because to lessen the transmission and decrease the risk of infection of the more vulnerable population. Therefore, it serves as protection not only to an individual but to many. This must be explained elaborately through proper public education to reduce the stigma about immunization, which hinders the propagation of the vaccination programs (Hendrix et al., 2016).
Despite the urgency and efforts to educate the public, immunization is continuously stigmatized, resulting in a decrease in vaccination rates worldwide. The beliefs also influence many parents, thereby convincing them not to vaccinate their children. Typically, the parents’ defense is that their decisions are purely based on the children's best intentions. The debate usually lies with the formation of “natural” and “unnatural” immunity, where the resistant or hesitant parents do not believe or do not want to taint their...