Distribution of Limited Resources: Utility & Equity Principles to Ensure Vaccination Access - Essay Sample

Introduction

Also, the ethical aspect related to the distribution of limited resources should be taken into consideration. This is caused by the increase in demand or a decrease in shortage. As a result, the utility principle has to be adopted to ensure that vaccination is distributed to people depending on factors like the spread of the disease. Similarly, the equity principle has been used as it promotes fairness. Moreover, if the eight vaccine trial was to be engaged in children, it is unethical not to perform the study without the knowledge of their parents.

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Laws Around Vaccination Trials

The United States laws regulate aspects of clinical trials. The United States governs this include, including site protection of humans, the export of materials and data, payments made to officials of a foreign government, and registration of clinical vaccines. Since vaccination trials involve human objects; they are protected under 45 C.F.R. part 46, which mandates that the legally effective informed consent. [9] Before performing any vaccination trial, it is recommended that all the sponsors and the investigators understand the legal requirement. Countries that lack laws that govern research on human objects make the sponsors, and the investigators find themselves outside the jurisdiction set in the United States. This, therefore, means that they have an ethical and moral duty to ensure that they meet the specified requirements [10]

The National Childhood Injury Vaccine Act of 1896 was established to governing vaccination injury, vaccination market, and compensation. However, this act lacks incentive that ensures that manufacturers keep in pace with the vaccine science. This act was enacted at a time where there was a crisis that helped in the formation of vaccine-related injuries and protected the manufacturing companies from the litigation risk vaccine injuries. Scholars argue that since the United States has experienced a shortage of vaccines since 2000, which is not caused by the litigation. Regardless of this shortage, the policymakers have not stepped in to curb the situation. [11]

The model State, Emergency Health Powers Act, was enacted to give the public health authorities powers to state and enhance proper and timely planning, prevention, and responses to any emergent. This act requires that a qualified individual should administer the vaccine and that refusal of not receiving the vaccine might be due to religious, medical, philosophies, or conscious. The act gives way forward that such a person should be quarantined to prevent the spread of contagious disease.[12] In California, parents claimed a personal belief on not seconding the idea of vaccination by submitting a form.[13] This was not helpful since aspects such as personal beliefs do not have any scientific backup. This might result in innocent deaths, creating more reasons for unethical medical practices. When there are inter territory clinical trials, for instance, the U.S. conducting a vaccination trial in an African country, the export control regulations may be outlined to restrict the movement of goods outside the U.S. The International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) and the Export Administration Regulations (E.A.R.) are laid down to govern the export clinical trials.

A Person can only export goods after receiving a request license under the ITAR. Another applicable law about vaccination trials is the regulations about privacy and confidentiality. The health Insurance Portability and Accounting Act of 1996 cover a health care plan, a health care clearinghouse, and a health care provider. The pharmaceutical clinical trials that generate research used to support a drug are subjected to confidentiality to a greater extent. In the United Kingdom, the administration of the smallpox vaccine was compulsory. This was passed in England and Wales in the year 1853. In 1867 and 1871, it was later amended as more terms and conditions concerning fines and non-compliance were included. Despite the government interventions to fight the spread of chicken boxes, some people went against the law by refusing the vaccination. They argued that it was a human right violation as it was against autonomy and that it was a contamination of the infant. In the United States, all infants were required to be vaccinated before their second birthday and before joining a public school. [14]

Effects of Vaccination Trials and Ethical Considerations

The most efficient way that a country can prepare for preventing the spread of any pandemic disease is through setting up systems and procedures.5 The best decision that the government can enforce is through the vaccination programs as it is not only crucial to a person as an individual but also to the entire community since there is the prevention of harm to its citizen. When there is a harmonized regulatory pathway, it will enhance the availability of pandemic vaccines on time, and there shall be a more efficient distribution of vaccines between countries. After the pre-trial, if the vaccination is efficacy, it is recommendable that the vaccine should immediately be administered to the other group who had received it.

Cases of Vaccination Trials and Ethical Considerations

In a case of Jacobson v United States in 1905, which involve legal jurisdiction for mandatory vaccination policies, the court ruled out the government has the authority to restrict the liberty of adult citizens by administering vaccination to mitigate the spread of infectious diseases. [14] As a result of the Model Act, which gives the public health agencies the mandate to come up with laws like that of the United States that is of compulsory vaccination in schools despite an individual's beliefs, conscious and philosophy lead to a case of Zucht v. King. In 1922, the court passed out the right of governmental agencies to require vaccination when it supported a school system's refusal to admit an unvaccinated child. On the contrary, in recent years, United States parents and guardians are refusing their children to be vaccinated due to the religious norms. The court reaffirmed that constitutional protection to exercise religion freely does not eliminate someone's room compulsory vaccination during the case of Boone v. Boozman. [13] In the year 1990, in San Francisco, the health officials suspected a Chinese man of being infected with Bubonic Plague. As a result, they established quarantine around Chinatown and removed whites from the affected area while the Chinese were to be vaccinated with a dangerous experimental vaccine before travelling. Later, the federal court found out that the quarantine process violated the equal protection clause as it generalized both the health and the sick, which increased the spread of the disease. [1]

Psychological Science in Vaccine Trials

Psychology is a motivational tool for the proposition of thoughts and feelings of the respondents. When done in the right way, there is like the hood of getting a broader outcome of volunteers. With facts based on the scientific background, it makes it easier to counter fears associated with vaccination trials. This possibility is also encountered when the respondent's fears and doubts are acted upon with a prejudice. Psychology offers insigh...