Public health 1: controlling infectious disease--the role of the law.
District nurse Brenda Harrison is exasperated by the behaviour of one of her patients. John, a 43-year-old dairy farmer, has been diagnosed with respiratory tract tuberculosis. Generally amenable and polite, John is stubborn and inclined to want to do things his way. Brenda has explained that he must not milk his cows and to stay away from the dairy. John has also been told the importance of taking the range of antibiotics prescribed for the tuberculosis regularly for the full course over 6 months. Despite this advice and frequent monitoring he has only taken the treatment for short periods before forgetting or simply stopping the treatment when he feels better. As a result John's wife, and now his brother, have also become infected. He continues to milk his dairy herd. Brenda is concerned that John's continued reluctance to take a full course of treatment and to stop contact with milk will result in many more people becoming infected. She wonders if the law could be used to protect public health and force John to complete a course of treatment and stay away from his herd.
Griffith
Richard
R
School of Health Science, University of Wales, Swansea, UK. richard.griffith@swan.ac.uk
Tengnah
Cassam
C
D003140:Communicable Disease Control / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D003152:Community Health Nursing / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D006801:Humans; D011634:Public Health / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D014376:Tuberculosis / Q000517:prevention & control; D006113:United Kingdom