Ethical Dilemma Of Mandatory Vaccinations - 1065 Words

Introduction The classic essay Tragedy of the Commons describes the dilemma society faces when the interests of a group conflicts with the interests of individuals (Hardin, 1968). The example presented is that of a group of cattle ranchers commingling their cattle in a common pasture. At full capacity, each cattle owner still has an incentive to include additional cattle, since the slight decrease in overall yield per animal is offset by the additional animal. Unfortunately, this overgrazing inevitably leads to failure of the commons. The community goal of maximizing food production can only be achieved by placing controls on the interests of the individual cattle ranchers in favor of those of the community (Hardin, 1968). This paper is†¦show more content†¦This is called an immune response. Vaccination is an attempt to manipulate the immune system to provide protection from disease caused by a pathogen without subjecting the person to the actual disease. The cowpox virus was sufficientl y similar to the smallpox virus that if an individual were exposed to cowpox, the person would develop antibodies that would subsequently attack and disable the smallpox virus. This basic principle discovered by Jenner over two hundred and fifty years ago is used today to develop the dozens of vaccines we take for granted. What Is Herd Immunity? The term herd immunity first appeared in a paper published in 1923, entitled â€Å"The Spread Of Bacterial Infection - The Problem Of Herd Immunity (Topley Wilson, 1923). Herd immunity refers to the protection of populations from infection, which is brought about by the presence of immune individuals (Anderson May, 1985). Herd immunity occurs when the proportion of people in a population that has immunity to a pathogen is so high, the pathogen cannot find enough susceptible hosts to infect and consequently can no longer survive (Coico Sunshine, 2015). For example, if only 50% of a population has immunity to pathogen X, the chances of an infected person coming in contact with a susceptible person to pass along pathogen X, is one in two. On the other hand, if 90% ofShow MoreRelatedMandatory Vaccination in Children: An Ethical Dilemma Essay1569 Words   |  7 PagesVaccination was first introduced globally for small pox and later on extended to other communicable diseases which are now known as vaccine preventable disease. Vaccination is beneficial both for individuals and community. This bring us to the ethical dilemma - Vaccination of a healthy child with the intention of protecting both the individual child and the community at the same time exposing the child to the theoretical risk of exposure to disease products whether live, attenuated or killed. ThereRead MoreImmunizations And Vaccinations : A Hot Topic1426 Words   |  6 Pages Immunizations and Vaccinations: A Hot Topic Crystal L. 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