Home
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
-
Reflections on Covid ethics
June 2026 Harvard Advanced Leadership Initiative review of public health decisions during Covid.
-
“the vast majority of lessons proffered in this literature should be understood as ethical lessons stemming from moral failures, and that any improvements in future global public health emergency preparedness and response are in large part dependent on acknowledging this … Read more