Lifestyle Vaccines and Public Health: Exploring Policy Options for a Vaccine to Stop Smoking

[Vaccination ethics-a sketch of moral challenges and ethical criteria]

Vaccination recommendations of public health institutes and personal decisions to get vaccinated cannot be grounded on scientific evidence alone. If and under what conditions vaccinations should take place can only be decided for concrete contexts and accompanied by justification processes applying ethical norms and values.This paper offers a normative framework for vaccination ethics. It reflects the principles and argumentation of individual and social ethics and discusses public health ethical tools available in the literature. The specific challenges of autonomous and health literate behavior from a justice perspective are examined. Also discussed is the position of the German Standing Committee on Vaccination (STIKO).