Overall Summary:
The New York Health Department, according the the Times Union, has taken the "individual rights of health care workers" by mandating all health care employees receive this year's flu vaccination. This official requirement made by the State may or may not extend to the upcoming H1N1 vaccine. Making employees in hospitals and medical buildings receive the vaccination will insure a safer flu season for the residents and patients in these facilities.
My Opinion:
I believe that mandating vaccinations, whether it be in health care employees or others, is a violation of citizens' rights. My mother, who runs the kitchen of a hospital, is also required to get this year's flu vaccination. I think that someone who is not even dealing with patients or medical procedures should definitely not have to receive the flu shot because they pose no threat to the patients and residents. The majority of employees have not bothered to get the vaccination in past years for a multitude of reasons. First of all, the flu vaccine, from personal experience, is a potential threat to health. Many people have witnessed first hand that the flu vaccination leads to the illness and is therefore dangerous to certain immune systems and age groups. Lastly, I think that the H1N1 vaccination, if the state makes it mandatory to certain people, could pose just as big a threat as the virus itself. The vaccination is still being tested and is being pushed onto the public out of fear of the disease.
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