摘要：The opposition to vaccinations is a well-known phenomenon that dates back to the Victorianage when it was self-limited by the awareness of the importance to be protectedagainst fearsome infectious diseases. In the XX century, the mass use of vaccination has− instead − consented to eradicate or drastically reduce the burden of diseases such assmallpox and polio. These positive effects of the vaccination campaigns have blurred out,if not erased, the memory of the tragic consequences of the past’s widespread diseases,leading people to underestimate the severity of the harm that vaccinations prevent. Inrecent years, a complex mixture of contextual factors have promoted an amplification ofthat paradoxical situation, leading experts to study causes and consequences of the socalled “vaccine hesitancy”. Several studies have shown the impact for children and forthe community of the refusal or hesitation towards vaccinations from different pointsof view, including epidemiological, clinical, social and economic evaluation. This articleprovides an analysis of vaccine hesitancy from an ethical perspective: parental, professionaland public responsibilities are analysed and described according to the “responsibilityof the fathers towards the children”, as articulated by Hans Jonas in 1979.
