Forced Vaccination Judged Unconstitutional in Colombia
The Constitutional Court in Colombia recently ruled that mandating the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine is unconstitutional. However, the precedent-setting judicial decision went beyond HPV vaccine mandates and affirmed the ethical principle of informed consent to medical risk taking. According to the Court, which is the highest judicial…
Italy Passes Mandatory Vaccination Law
Following a hotly contested public debate, the Italian parliament has given final approval to a law mandating full compliance with government-sanctioned vaccines for all school children in Italy up to 16 years of age. Under the new ruling, small children without the proper…
EU Court Ruling May Hold More Vaccine Makers Accountable
Many people are unaware that in 1986 Congress gave the U.S. vaccine industry a shield from product liability that is unlike any other in existence. In most cases, if a pharmaceutical product injures or kills a person, the manufacturer of that product can be held financially accountable in a civil court of law.
Americans Traveling Abroad Face Vaccine Decisions
U.S. public health officials commonly advocate vaccinations for Americans traveling abroad, but most foreign countries “recommend” rather than “mandate” vaccinations for visitors. Cholera vaccine, for example, has a limited and transient effectiveness for reducing illness and does not prevent transmission of infection. Because of this and the extremely low risk of infection for travelers…
Victims of HPV Vaccine in Japan Will Sue State and Vaccine Makers
In the U.S., the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine has been a subject of controversy from the very beginning after Merck’s Gardasil vaccine was licensed in 2006. Japan is one of the many nations raising concerns about HPV vaccine following persistent reports that girls are suffering severe adverse effects after getting vaccinated. Here is what happened in Japan in a nutshell.