Is vaccination a civic duty?

by Dr. James Talbot

Three things everyone should know about the civic duty of health care workers with direct patient contact to be immunized against influenza:

1. Health care workers have a duty to the patient. That duty is to protect those who cannot protect themselves, to do no harm and to put the interests of the patient first.


2. Health care workers have a duty to patients and co-workers to protect themselves from influenza. Doing so decreases the preventable absenteeism that decreases the capacity of the health care system at the very time influenza predictably increases the demand on staffing and the health care system.


3. Health care workers have a duty to the public. They need to be leaders in demonstrating the importance of immunization so that the public understands the need to protect themselves, their friends, neighbors and relatives, especially those at higher risk for serious complications.

Three myths about influenza immunization:

Myth #1:  I don’t need to get immunized, I’m healthy.

The Reality: Immunizationdecreases illness and absenteeism for healthy adults and provides protection to those they come in contact with who are or who have contact with children under the age of 5, (especially under 2), people over the age of 65, pregnant women, and those with medical conditions such as asthma, diabetes, epilepsy, COPD and heart disease are at higher risk of serious complications from influenza, including death.

Myth #2:  I don’t need to get immunized to protect other people.  If I feel sick I stay at home.

The Reality: Infected individuals are highlyinfectious for 24 hours before they develop symptoms.

Myth #3: The immunization caused me to get influenza.

The Reality: The influenza vaccine contains either inactivated virus or only parts of the virus. It cannot multiply in the body and cause influenza.

As Chief Medical Officer of Health for the Government of Alberta, Dr. James Talbot provides public health expertise to support and promote health surveillance, population health and disease control initiatives, and makes recommendations to the Minister of Health on issues of public health importance.

Is civic duty an antediluvian concept?

by David M. Brock

Three things we need to know about civic duty:

1. Civic duty is the ethical obligation one feels to participate in society, and the belief that it is morally wrong not to participate. Voting and paying taxes are examples of exercising one’s civic duty.


2. Feelings of civic duty can be so strong that sufficient gratification may result from simply fulfilling one’s duty. For example, the positive feeling that one gets from casting a ballot can be gratifying regardless of the outcome of the election.


3. Civic duty is about more than voting – it is about participation. In an electoral democracy, civic duty can be exercised by volunteering for an election campaign, donating money to a political party or candidate, serving as an impartial election officer, protesting peacefully, and casting a ballot.

Three myths about civic duty:

Myth #1: Civic duty is old fashioned.

The Reality: Although the overall strength of civic duty does appear to be in decline, civic duty remains a strong motivating factor for why people vote, wouldn’t sell their ballot, and consider it wrong not to vote.

Myth #2: Civic duty is down because consumer choice is up.  

The Reality: Correlation is not causation. An increase in choice for music, clothing, and books, has not been shown to be the cause of any decline in civic duty. Civic duty and freedom of choice are compatible social goods.

Myth #3: People no longer believe in civic duty.

The Reality: Students on the streets of Quebec, spectators at last year’s Boston Marathon, and citizens in the Maidan or Tahrir appear to believe strongly in civic duty. Civic duty has motivated people to protest government policy, rush into chaos to save lives, and risk death for democracy.

David M. Brock is Chief Electoral Officer of the Northwest Territories, and Chair of the IPAC NWT Regional Group. He is a Member of the Banff Forum and Fellow of Action Canada. He studied political science at Dalhousie University, the University of Saskatchewan, and the University of Western Ontario. His writing has appeared in Policy Options, the Literary Review of Canada, and Northern Public Affairs.