The prolonged concern over the potential for a global influenza pandemic to cause perhaps many millions of fatalities is a chilling one. After the SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) scares [1], attention has turned towards the possibility of an avian influenza virus hybridizing with a human influenza virus to create a highly virulent, as yet unknown, killer, on a scale unseen since the Spanish flu outbreak of 1918, which produced more fatalities than the Great War. In deciding how countries should react to this potential pandemic, individually and collectively, a reasonable and practical balance must be struck between the rights and obligations of individual citizens and protection of the wider community and, indeed, society as a whole. In this communication, ethical issues are discussed in the context of some of the scientific questions relating to a potential influenza pandemic. Among these issues are the rights and obligations of healthcare professionals, difficulties surrounding resource allocation, policies that have an impact on liberty and trade, when and how to introduce any vaccine or other form of mass treatment, global governance questions and the role of health policies in contemporary society. By considering these issues and questions in advance of an influenza, or indeed any other, pandemic commencing, countries can be better prepared to deal with the inevitably difficult decisions required during such events, rather than dusting down outdated previous plans, or making and implementing policy in an ad hoc manner with a resultant higher risk of adverse consequences.
Skip Nav Destination
Article navigation
December 2006
-
Cover Image
Cover Image
- PDF Icon PDF LinkFront Matter
- PDF Icon PDF LinkTable of Contents
Conference Article|
October 25 2006
Confronting an influenza pandemic: ethical and scientific issues
In Collection
Coronavirus
U. Schuklenk;
U. Schuklenk
*Centre for Ethics in Public Policy and Corporate Governance, Glasgow Caledonian University, Glasgow G4 0BA, Scotland, U.K.
Search for other works by this author on:
K.M.A. Gartland
K.M.A. Gartland
1
†School of Life Sciences, Glasgow Caledonian University, Glasgow G4 0BA, Scotland, U.K.
1To whom correspondence should be addressed (Kevan.Gartland@gcal.ac.uk).
Search for other works by this author on:
Publisher: Portland Press Ltd
Received:
August 14 2006
Online ISSN: 1470-8752
Print ISSN: 0300-5127
© 2006 The Biochemical Society
2006
Biochem Soc Trans (2006) 34 (6): 1151–1154.
Article history
Received:
August 14 2006
Citation
U. Schuklenk, K.M.A. Gartland; Confronting an influenza pandemic: ethical and scientific issues. Biochem Soc Trans 1 December 2006; 34 (6): 1151–1154. doi: https://doi.org/10.1042/BST0341151
Download citation file:
Sign in
Don't already have an account? Register
Sign in to your personal account
You could not be signed in. Please check your email address / username and password and try again.
Could not validate captcha. Please try again.