Judicialization of post-vaccinal adverse events

Abstract Science has made important contributions to improving people’s well-being, achieving remarkable advances that protect them from illnesses. Vaccines are one such example, and serve as a tool to improve the lives of the global population. Vaccines have risks the consequences of which are not fully known, however, making surveillance systems that neutralize or reduce adverse events vital. In Brazil, vaccination policy is “compulsory”, restricting the autonomy of the individual, who as a “victim” of adverse events then needs to seek redress through legal action, as the State does not have a national compensation policy. With the support of Bioethics and human rights, this article aims to analyze Brazilian judicial decisions, demonstrating that judicialization is not the best way to solve problems arising from adverse events caused by vaccines, and that there is a lack of preparation among the professionals involved, as well as contradictions, insecurities and injustices in decisions.

摘要 科学为改善人类福祉作出了重要贡献，在守护民众远离疾病、保障健康方面取得了显著进展。疫苗便是其中一例，作为改善全球民众生活质量的重要手段。不过疫苗存在风险，其后果尚未完全明晰，因此构建能够中和或减少疫苗不良事件的监测体系至关重要。在巴西，疫苗接种政策属于"强制接种"范畴，这限制了公民的个人自主权。由于国家未设立全国性的疫苗不良事件补偿政策，当民众作为疫苗不良事件"受害者"时，只能通过法律途径寻求救济。本文在生物伦理学（Bioethics）与人权理念的支撑下，旨在分析巴西的司法判例，结果表明司法化并非解决疫苗不良事件引发问题的最优路径，同时还暴露了相关从业人员的应对准备不足，以及司法裁决中存在的矛盾、不确定性与不公现象。