title: Ethical challenges in planning for an influenza pandemic.
abstract: Pandemics have devastated humankind throughout history and the threat they pose is just as great now, at the beginning of the 21st century. Managing a public health emergency of the scale and complexity of a pandemic, and with the potential societal ramifications, poses enormous challenges. Public health planners must grapple with the intersection of competing values and priorities. This article provides a preliminary discussion of some of these ethical issues, specifically the necessary limitations on individual liberty posed by quarantine, the unavoidable need to prioritise health care resources, and the complexities associated with the obligations of health care professionals.
authors.affiliation: Research and Ethics Branch, New South Wales Department of Health, Australia.
authors.forename: Julie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Letts
mesh_terms: D001315:Australia / Q000453:epidemiology; D002961:Civil Rights / Q000941:ethics; D004196:Disease Outbreaks / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006292:Health Priorities / Q000941:ethics; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000941:ethics; D006801:Humans; D017589:Immunization Programs / Q000941:ethics; D007252:Influenza Vaccines / Q000600:supply & distribution; D007251:Influenza, Human / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D010356:Patient Isolation / Q000941:ethics; D010934:Planning Techniques; D011635:Public Health Administration / Q000941:ethics* / Q000379:methods; D011790:Quarantine / Q000941:ethics; D012941:Social Responsibility
chemical_list: D007252:Influenza Vaccines