Ethical considerations for mandating food worker vaccination during outbreaks: an analysis of hepatitis A vaccine

A widespread global outbreak of Hepatitis A virus (HAV) has prompted regulations in a few cities in the United States (US) mandating HAV vaccination of food service workers. This Viewpoint considers the global impact of HAV, analyzes ethical issues pertinent to recent mandatory vaccination regulations and the core values of public health. It explores the health and rights of stakeholders and ethical criteria for mandatory vaccination that could be applied globally with the ethical codes of the World Health Organization and the American Public Health Association. The goal is to help create ethical guidance for determining under what conditions, and for what populations, should regulations be created requiring vaccination for a communicable disease.

Automated summary

The article discusses the global impact of HAV and the ethical issues surrounding mandatory vaccination regulations, exploring core values in public health. By considering the health and rights of stakeholders, as well as ethical criteria, ethical guidance is provided for determining regulations requiring vaccination for communicable diseases.