Ministry of Health of the Slovak RepublicEthics Committee
ORDER No 43/51
Ethical aspects of compulsory vaccination
(date of adoption: 19.11.2013)
At its regular meetings on 1 October 2013 and 19 November 2013 in Bratislava, the Ethics Commission of the Ministry of Health of the Slovak Republic addressed some ethical issues that appear in public regarding the current discussion on the national compulsory vaccination programme. This debate has recently been accentuated by the ongoing proceedings before the Constitutional Court of the Slovak Republic, as well as the increasing activities of supporters and opponents of compulsory vaccination in the public area, especially in the field of print and electronic media and internet social networks.
The Commission has carefully considered the arguments of both parties and is aware of the risks involved in implementing the national compulsory vaccination programme. At the same time, however, it also examined the arguments in favour of maintaining the system of the national compulsory vaccination programme. The Commission has therefore decided to adopt the following opinion on ethical issues of compulsory vaccination:
Implementation of the national compulsory vaccination programme one of the significant achievements of medical development and preventive health care in the territory of the Slovak Republic. It can also be described as one of the most effective and safe health care measures to date, with an incomparablely favourable ratio of effectiveness, medical benefit (principle of benign – charity and security (principle Non-mality Innocence). As a result, the fears and fears associated with the diseases against which this national programme is directed have almost completely disappeared from the awareness of the general public.
The Commission considers that the implementation and results of the national compulsory vaccination programme are in accordance with the public health value and ethically in accordance with well-understood ethical principles Justice, Solidarity, Autonomy, Transparency agood governance public affairs, which are among the main ethical principles in the field of medicine and healthcare, with acceptance throughout the current cultural world.
Efficacy, safety or epidemiological eligibility of the national vaccination programme has not yet been included in the technical discussion convincingly disproved, rather the opposite. A large part of the debate has moved to the media and social networks, but the conditions for a qualified debate have not always been ensured. Nevertheless, public opinion has been partly influenced. However, in its conclusions, the Commission relied on scientifically proven information in which it considered, both for and against the system of the national compulsory vaccination programme, based on the principles of evidence-based medicine (English evidence -based medicine).
The Commission is aware that in the long history of efforts to develop and secure vaccines and vaccination programmes, the world has also experienced Multiple defaults, professional errors or unethical actions by the competent institutions or vaccine manufacturers themselves. The Commission is also aware that not all these regrettable failures have been sufficiently clarified and communicated to the wider public, including information on the systemic measures taken to prevent their recurrence in the development, clinical trial, manufacture of vaccines and implementation of vaccination programmes.
The Commission is fully aware of the risks and possible adverse reactions of vaccinations, which are part of a national compulsory vaccination programme. These are mainly unexpected adverse reactions. The medical and ethical imperative must be respect for all medical contraindications for vaccination in the child, as well as monitoring the occurrence, reporting and adequate resolution of vaccination adverse reactions. Good communication and understanding for the parents of vaccinated children are part of the efforts of doctors, nurses, and other health workers.
However, the Commission points out that Very rareIn addition, their incidence has been reduced following the recent abolition of mandatory vaccination against tuberculosis across the board. The Commission also considers that the real efficacy, medical/health benefit for the child against the risk of vaccination is currently the most favourable of all effective preventive healthcare measures.
For a part of our public, a certain moral problem is the fact that stable cell cultures have been used for the development and production of certain vaccines to multiply and obtain the viruses needed to prepare them, in which they were used for several decades ago tissues of artificially miscarriage of the human foetus. These internationally defined stable cell cultures are currently not easy to replace when producing the vaccines. However, it should be noted that the vaccines currently manufactured and used do not contain any components of human embryos and foetuses that have been aborted, nor are they used in their manufacture, as can be seen from relevant internationally defined and strictly controlled production processes. The Commission recommends that the competent national authorities and institutions, as well as vaccine manufacturers, take due account of this when deciding on the development, production, procurement and financing of vaccines, particularly vaccines covered by public funds.
The Commission is also aware that compulsory vaccination may constitute interference with personal integrityHowever, it considers that this is a restriction of a fundamental right which fulfils the purpose and mandatory vaccination contributes to better protection and guarantee of fundamental social values such as public health or the protection of the rights of others.
In order to limit all the risks associated with the issue of vaccination, the Commission calls on all healthcare professionals, in particular paediatricians, nurses, adolescents and general practitioners, to pay the necessary attention and effort to the requirements of their professional ethics and responsibilities, Better communication and instruction in the performance of vaccinations.
The Commission believes that the national compulsory vaccination programme is important for preventing discrimination against persons on health grounds more effectively. Compulsory vaccination contributes tostrengthening the values of equality in dignity and rights12 of the Constitution of the Slovak Republic.
Compulsory vaccination is one way of strengthening Fair access to healthcare, which is also enshrined in international conventions.
The Commission considers that limiting the national compulsory vaccination programme significant danger to the health and lives of citizens The Slovak Republic, in particular children, adolescents and persons who, for medical or other serious reasons, have not yet been vaccinated.
For the above reasons, the Commission believes that all responsible national authorities should carry out necessary steps to maintain the national compulsory vaccination programme and avoid significant weakening.