Case Study

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Case Study 2

• Berna
• Jennifer
• Joey
• Pamela
• Ratko
• Tia
• Yvonne

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Case Study Summary

• On June 22, 2006, a 27-year old male flight
  attendant was brought into NYC emergency room
  with a 101-degree fever and pox that did not
  appear to be typical of the varicella-zoster(chick
  enpox)virus. Upon further examination, the man
  was determined to have small pox. Immediately
  quarantined, and having been in perfect health a
  few days earlier, the man dies 7 hours after
  admittance to the hospital. The physician having
  notified the CDC was ordered that small pox
  vaccines be administered to all the workers in
  the NYC hospital and all the patients who were in
  the ER. Also all of the people, including their
  families who had been on the mans flights in the
  weeks preceding the appearance of the disease
  were forced to receive the vaccination. The CDC
  also shipped stored quantities of the vaccine to
  all of the cities where the man had flown to for
  work, for anyone who wanted to get the vaccine.

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What is Smallpox??

• Smallpox is an acute contagious febrile disease
  of humans that is caused by a poxvirus (species
  Variola virus of the genus Orthopoxvirus). It is
  characterized by a skin eruption with pustules,
  sloughing, and scar formation. Smallpox is
  believed to have been eradicated globally by
  widespread vaccination-called also variola.

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THE SMALLPOX VACCINE

• THE SMALLPOX VACCINE IS GIVEN WITHIN 1-4 DAYS OF
  EXPOSURE TO THE DISEASE. IT MAY PREVENT ILLNESS,
  OR ATLEAST LESSEN THE DEGREE OF ILLNESS
  ASSOCIATED WITH THE DISEASE. TREATMENT, ONCE THE
  DISEASE SYMPTOMS HAVE STARTED IS VERY LIMITED.

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WHAT WE KNOW

• Generally a person who is infected with small
  pox is contagious one day before the
  characteristic pox appear.
• Approximately 30-50 of unvaccinated people who
  are exposed to smallpox will contract the disease
• 20-40 of those people will die
• Based on past experience, it is estimated that
  between 1 and 2 people out of every 1 million
  people vaccinated may die as a result of
  life-threatening reactions to the vaccine
  (CDC-Smallpox fact sheet)

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Group 1 Question

• Is it moral for the CDC to force citizens to get
  the vaccine, if they are not living in the major
  cities that came into contact?

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Thesis

• In the following presentation it will be proven
  that it is moral for the CDC to force citizens to
  get the vaccine, if they are not living in the
  major cities that came into contact with the
  disease. This will be done through application
  of Philosopher John Stuart Mills Principle of
  Utility.

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JOHN STUART MILL(TELEOLOGICAL THINKER)

• A TELEOLOGICAL THINKER IS ONLY CONCERNED WITH THE
  CONSEQUENCES (RESULTS) OF ACTIONS. THE RESULTS
  OF MORAL ACTS DETERMINE THE ACTS MORAL WORTH OR
  CORRECTNESS.

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JOHN STUART MILL(ARGUMENT)

• The Principle of Utility
• Given a choice in social policies, we must choose
  the one that has the best overall results for
  everyone concerned, including those whom we do
  not know.

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John Stuart Mill(CONTINUED)

• Strong Utilitarian Conscience
• Strong feeling of obligation to the general
  happiness of others
• Develops out of the natural desire we have to be
  in unity with fellow creatures
• Enables us to care what happens to them and
  perceive our own interests as linked with theirs
• If people possessed a strong utilitarian
  conscience, they would feel obligated to get
  vaccinated.

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JOHN STUART MILL(CONTINUED)

• The worlds good is made up of the good of the
  individuals that constitute it(Mill).
• In applying this to our case study, those who
  had been exposed to the disease were en route to
  many different destinations all over the world.
  As a result, within a matter of time smallpox
  would become a worldwide epidemic. According to
  Mill, the individuals whom the CDC required
  mandatory vaccination of, whether living in the
  major cities that came into contact or not, would
  intend to the good of the individuals around
  them, including themselves, and in effect, would
  intend to the good of the world in preventing an
  epidemic.

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Counter-Argument(THE MORAL CONCERNS ASSOCIATED
WITH MANDATORY SMALLPOX VACCINATION)

• VIOLATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS
• RIGHT TO LIFE AND TO AUTONOMY
• TREATING PERSONS AS MEANS TO AN END INSTEAD OF AN
  END IN THEMSELVES
• IMMANUEL KANT
• FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION
• RIGHT TO MAKE INFORMED DECISIONS FOR OURSELVES
  AND OUR FAMILIES
• LONG-LASTING EFFECTS FOR THOSE WHO ARE AFFECTED
  DIRECTLY DUE TO INFECTION OR THE IMMUNIZATION
  ITSELF

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Counter-Argument(VACCINES)

• ALTHOUGH VACCINES ARE SAFE AND EFFECTIVE, THEY
  ARE NEITHER PERFECTLY SAFE NOR PERFECTLY
  EFFECTIVE (MALONE, AND HIMAN).
• VACCINATED PEOPLE CAN SPREAD THE VIRUS TO OTHERS
• THE VACCINE WILL NOT GUARANTEE IMMUNITY AGAINST
  THE DISEASE

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Conclusion

• ACCORDING TO MILL, IT IS MORAL FOR THE CDC TO
  FORCE CITIZENS TO GET THE VACCINE, IF THEY ARE
  NOT LIVING IN THE MAJOR CITIES THAT CAME INTO
  CONTACT WITH THE DISEASE. THIS MANDATE WOULD
  PROMOTE THE GENERAL WELFARE OF ALL CITIZENS.

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Works Cited

• cdc.gov/vaccines/vac-gen/policies/down
• loads/vacc_mandates_chptr13.pdf
• http//chetday.com/smallpoxvaccination.htm
• http//www.bt.cdc.gov/agent/smallpox/vacci nation/
  reactions-vacc-public.asp
• http//www.iep.utm.edu/m/milljs.htm
• http//www.know-vaccine.org/interview.htm
• http//www.utm.edu/research/iep/m/milljs.htm
• http//www.vbs.admin.ch/ls/e/current/fact_
• sheet/pocken/