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Public health is constantly straddling the importance of individual rights and the good of the community.

In a pandemic, the choices often become more urgent and more difficult. A few key documents summarize the consensus on ethical public health actions in a pandemic. This guidance helps you find what these documents recommend. They are:

  • The American Public Health Association, Public health code of ethics (2019)
  • The World Health Organization, Guidance for Managing Ethical Issues in Infectious Disease Outbreaks (2016)
  • The World Health Organization, Ethical considerations in developing a public health response to pandemic influenza (2007)
  • The US Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Ethical guidelines in pandemic influenza (2007)
  • Indiana University Center for Bioethics, Ethics Guide for health practitioners working under conditions of an influenza pandemic (2009)
  • The University of Toronto Joint Centre for Bioethics, Stand on Guard for Thee: Ethical considerations in preparedness planning for pandemic influenza (2005)

NEWS & ANNOUNCEMENTS

 

  • Pandemic Agreement

    World Health Assembly adopts historic Pandemic Agreement to make the world more equitable and safer from future pandemics. https://www.who.int/news/item/20-05-2025-world-health-assembly-adopts-historic-pandemic-agreement-to-make-the-world-more-equitable-and-safer-from-future-pandemics

  • Threats to Public Health at Every Angle

    Epidemiologist, Katelyn Jetelina, writes an insightful and free-of-jargon explanation of the week’s developments in public health in her Substack column called Your Local Epidemiologist (YLE). In her March 28, 2025 issue, the anniversary of the beginning of the Covid pandemic, … Read more

More News & Announcements



What is Pandemic Ethics?

A pandemic is pervasive in scope and touches virtually every human-made system. In this guidance, we focus on ethics in a government’s or an employer’s actions in a pandemic.

Public health ethics addresses the relationship between those governing or administrating and the population or employees they serve. They are best summarized by the Public Health Code of Ethics of the American Public Health Association.

Contact Jim Thomas