Citation
Thomas, James C. & Miller, Reid (2015). Ebola: The Ethics of Thinking Ahead. Journal of Public Health Management and Practice, 21(5), 507-508.Abstract
Nearly 10 years ago, when the world was preparing for an avian influenza pandemic, there was a flurry of preparation, including deliberation on the anticipated ethical challenges the pandemic would bring. Widespread infection with a highly pathogenic influenza virus would necessitate the allocation of scarce resources, such as antivirals, and the implementation of control measures, raising ethical concerns about who would receive the resources and who would be subject to isolation. The United States' federal and state governments produced plans for responding to a surge in highly pathogenic influenza patients. Importantly, the federal plan did not guide states to prepare for decision making on issues with significant ethical implications. A review of the eventual state-level influenza plans revealed an absence of ethical language to guide decision making in the public health response; a subsequent review showed little progress. A few states eventually deliberated on ethical issues, but most attention was given to the allocation of scarce resources, such as antivirals and respirators, whereas other ethical issues were addressed in a cursory manner. Moreover, the ethical deliberations were usually unconnected to the state plans and thus lacked official endorsement or a mandate for enforcement. The Ebola epidemic's reach into the United States revealed that we remain unprepared to respond quickly and ethically to the ethical challenges of international transmission of a highly pathogenic disease. Guidelines for nonclinical actions, such as interactions with communities and structures for ethical decision making, are largely missing.URL
http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/phh.0000000000000227Reference Type
Journal ArticleYear Published
2015Journal Title
Journal of Public Health Management and PracticeAuthor(s)
Thomas, James C.Miller, Reid