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Articles on Mandatory vaccination

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People gather in Kingston, Ont., to protest COVID-19 vaccine mandates and masking measures on Nov. 14, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Lars Hagberg 

COVID-19 vaccine mandates would likely face legal hurdles in Canada

Can the government mandate vaccines? Canadians have rights to make decisions about vaccination, but these rights are not absolute, and do not mean those decisions will have no consequences.
Children wearing masks sit behind screened-in cubicles in their classroom at a Toronto school during the COVID-19 pandemic. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette

3 reasons for making COVID-19 vaccination mandatory for children

Full population-level protection against COVID-19 will require most adolescents and children to be vaccinated. There are ethical arguments for encouraging vaccination uptake through vaccine mandates.
Ever since a 1904 revolt against the smallpox vaccine, Brazil has run extremely successful vaccination programs. Rafael Henrique/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

Brazil’s president rejects COVID-19 vaccine, undermining a century of progress toward universal inoculation

A 1904 revolt against mandatory smallpox inoculation taught Brazilian health officials a deadly lesson on how to vaccinate a skeptical public. Today President Bolsonaro seems to ignore that history.
Terry Roark holds a photo of her son, Thomas, at the state Capitol in Sacramento, California, April 24, 2019, to voice opposition to a bill that would allow state health officials more say in vaccine exemptions. Rich Pedroncelli/AP Photo

What’s wrong with those anti-vaxxers? They’re just like the rest of us

As measles cases surge, people blame parents who refuse to vaccinate their children. A sociologist who has studied public health says anti-vaxxers may not be so different from the rest of us.
When a man was diagnosed with Ebola in Dallas in 2014, workers cleared out the apartment unit where he had been staying. Reuters/Jim Young

How Trump’s global health budget endangers Americans

President Trump wants to slash global health funding at a time when more investment is needed, not less. This spending can protect Americans – as well as foreigners – from deadly diseases.
Protecting the herd means a certain proportion of the population has to be immunised. Flickr/Princessrica

Explainer: what is herd immunity?

When a high proportion of a community is immune it becomes hard for diseases to spread from person to person – a phenomenon known as herd immunity.
A vial of measles, mumps and rubella vaccine and an information sheet are seen at Boston Children’s Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, February 26 2015. Brian Snyder/Reuters

Are US vaccine rates going down because public trust and social ties are eroding?

The anti-vaccination movement is not the cause of falling vaccination rates. It is a symptom of the public’s growing distrust in the government and the medical profession.
The emotional appeals of the opposing views on vaccination are both driven by concern for children. World Bank Photo Collection/Flickr

‘No jab, no pay’ policy has a serious ethical sting

The plan to withhold payments of child-care and family tax benefits for unvaccinated children could cost non-compliant parents up to A$15,000 a year. But is it ethical to punish parents?
Removing the childcare rebate for parents who do not fully immunise their children is unnecessarily punitive and could have repercussions. Oksana Shufrych/Shutterstock

Forget ‘no jab, no pay’ schemes, there are better ways to boost vaccination

Immunisation in Australia isn’t compulsory – and doesn’t need to be controversial. Most Australians recognise the incredible benefits that vaccination provides to prevent serious disease.

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