Is the COVID-19 Vaccine Crisis a DIS?: A Comparison of Japan's DIS and the UK’s "Blood Scandal" Case

This presentation examines the significance of side effects and health damages caused by COVID-19 vaccines being framed as "drug-induced sufferings (DISs)" in Japan, and compares it to the recent “blood scandal” case in the UK. In Japan, health damage caused by pharmaceuticals, along with social problems accompanied by social suffering, such as prejudice and discrimination, has historically been categorized as a DIS. Thalidomide and AIDS have emerged as notable DIS issues, and there has been a history of victim movements where victims have won compensation through lawsuits. These movements played a crucial role in shaping the current medical system. While health damages from COVID-19 vaccines are partially compensated for under the framework established by previous DIS cases, there is a possibility that vaccine-related harm could be redefined as a DIS, leading to victim movement, as in the past. Furthermore, conspiracy theories about the replicon vaccine, which has not been approved in any country other than Japan, are spreading. Could the COVID-19 vaccine crises evolve into a DIS issue? If so, how would it differ from past DIS cases, and would it lead to sufficient compensation? This report considers these issues by analyzing the strategic differences between various compensation movements. It focuses on the UK’s contaminated blood scandal, where an inquiry report was submitted in May 2024, revealing HIV and HCV infections caused by contaminated blood products. Based on this case, I assessed whether framing the COVID-19 vaccine crisis as a DIS issue would lead to compensation and the resolution of the problem.