To be or not to be vaccinated? That is the question among Italian healthcare workers: a medico-legal perspective

Abstract

Vaccines are among the greatest medical and scientific achievements of the modern age. In this context, this article provides a medico-legal perspective on vaccinations among healthcare workers. The use of vaccines involves various issues, such as the possibility of side effects, which has led to fairly widespread suspicion and rejection, especially for vaccinations in the early years of life. Vaccine use also raises various ethical and legal problems, such as animal experimentation, obtaining informed consent, and the possibility of conflicts between individual rights and collective rights. Vaccinations is a key concept in the theme of life care, which is at the center of bioethical debate, but it also exacerbates the conflict between the good of the individual versus the good of the community. However, vaccination of healthcare workers represents a crucial measure of infection control within healthcare facilities.