Issues Related to the Development of HCV Vaccine

·         Ethical Issues.

o   Research and Testing. Before the vaccine can licenced, it must have gone through many years of tests and undergone vigorous safety standards (Ethical Issues and Vaccines, 2014). Also, in medical cases, medical care and service must have dominance over research as medical care is usually administered by the same professional that conduct research (Ethical considerations for vaccination programmes in acute humanitarian emergencies, 2013). The vaccine is a recent scientific breakthrough and has not gone through numerous tests.

o   Informed consent. Valid consent must be obtained from an individual before the vaccine can be tested on him/her as it is a commitment under the principle of respect for the autonomy of persons (Ethical considerations for vaccination programmes in acute humanitarian emergencies, 2013). This commitment cannot be broken under any condition or circumstance.

o   Access. Most of the time, vaccination is somewhat dependent on both race (ethnicity) and socioeconomic status. This is so because the minority groups are less privileged. This implies that there should be a fair distribution of vaccines, and this can be achieved through priority setting – vaccines should be made more readily available to those who need it the most (Ethical Issues and Vaccines, 2014).

·         Economic Issues. Although the vaccine is provided at a considerably low cost already, the HCV vaccine is struggling to appeal the intervention of the government. The intervention of the government will aid the manufacture and distribution of the vaccine, thereby saving more lives in the long run. 

·         Societal Issues. It is not every individual that will want to be vaccinated. Some individuals just will not take any vaccines based on their personal beliefs although the vaccine works properly (Shetty, 2012). Furthermore, individuals who know about the devastating side-effects of the vaccines will most likely refuse vaccination.