title: Good epidemiology, good ethics: empirical and ethical dimensions of global public health.
abstract: This paper examines the following ethically and epidemiologically relevant challenges, as yet neglected in public health ethics: how to distribute resources and health risks and benefits, how to define evidentiary criteria that justify public health interventions, and how to define terms in which programme goals, successes, and failures will be assessed and monitored. We illuminate critical intersections of empirical and ethical dimensions of public health work, drawing upon three global public health interventions-inclusion of the Hepatitis B vaccine in the Universal Immunisation Programme, Universal Salt Iodisation, and the Global Polio Eradication Initiative-and suggest strategies for addressing and responding to them.
authors.affiliation: Associate Professor, Centre for Health Policy and Ethics, Creighton University School of Medicine 2500 California Plaza, Omaha, Nebraska, 68178 USA e-mail: christyrentmeester@creighton.edu.
authors.forename: Christy A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Rentmeester
authors.forename: Rajib
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Dasgupta
mesh_terms: D004812:Epidemiologic Methods; D014943:Global Health; D015276:Health Care Rationing / Q000941:ethics* / Q000458:organization & administration; D006292:Health Priorities; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000941:ethics* / Q000458:organization & administration; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000517:prevention & control; D006801:Humans; D017589:Immunization Programs / Q000941:ethics / Q000458:organization & administration; D007194:India; D007455:Iodine; D011051:Poliomyelitis / Q000517:prevention & control; D011634:Public Health / Q000941:ethics*; D017673:Sodium Chloride, Dietary
chemical_list: D017673:Sodium Chloride, Dietary; C034024:iodized salt; D007455:Iodine