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Communicate with the public

Timely, transparent, and accurate communication with the public about the pandemic will engender trust and cooperation

  • The principles of outbreak communication are: trust; transparency; communicating to the public early, dialogue with the public; and planning. WHO Ethics in Pandemic Flu
  • Countries should develop community-specific communication and social mobilization strat­egies. WHO Ethics in Pandemic Flu
  • The purpose of the communication strategy should be to ensure that stakeholders know and understand the scope and necessity of priority setting decision-making, the degrees of freedom within which priority setting would take place and the roles of various people. University of Toronto
  • [Communicate] the nature and scope of the threat and related risks, and the spread of the pandemic. WHO Ethics in Pandemic Flu
  • [Communicate] the steps that are being taken to respond to the pandemic, including new policy developments and their justifications. WHO Ethics in Pandemic Flu
  • [Communicate] scientifically sound, feasible and understandable measures people can take to protect themselves and/or others from infection. WHO Ethics in Pandemic Flu
  • Even when access to treatment or prophylaxis is limited, the public is entitled to timely and accurate information. WHO Ethics in Pandemic Flu
  • There is a commitment to transparency throughout the pandemic influenza planning and response process. CDC Ethics in Pandemic Flu
  • Some of this information will inevitably be uncertain and this uncertainty should also be com­municated in clear, non-alarmist language. Informa­tion available will change continuously throughout the pandemic, requiring adjustments of response strategies based on ongoing assessments of the risks and potential benefits of interventions. WHO Ethics in Pandemic Flu
  • [The] commitment to clarity and openness, which is based on a deep respect for all individuals and communities involved, exists in balance with the understanding that those with the authority and responsibility of making decisions must often make decisions in a timely manner. CDC Ethics in Pandemic Flu
  • Transparency about the process is essential and communication about restrictions should begin early in the planning process. CDC Ethics in Pandemic Flu
  • An effective communications strategy should be developed to ensure a transparent priority setting process. University of Toronto
  • People need to know in advance what to expect. An effective communications strategy should be developed to ensure a transparent priority setting process. University of Toronto
  • Information should be consistent, transparent, and widely shared within each community and within each state. Indiana University
  • Promote openness among the government, nongovernmental entities, and the public regarding resource allocation and performance improvement APHA Code of Ethics, 4.12.3.
  • Countries should develop community-specific communication and social mobilization strat­egies that are linguistically and culturally appropriate. WHO Ethics in Pandemic Flu
  • The public should be clearly informed that restrictions on personal freedom are anticipated, that these limitations may be important to the individual’s own protection, and that they are also necessary to limit the spread of disease throughout the community. CDC Ethics in Pandemic Flu
  • Communication strategies should ensure that the public has access to information about: the availability of drugs for treatment and prophylaxis; the availability of other preventive and therapeu­tic measures; the standards and procedures that will be used to guide the allocation of drugs and other pre­ventive and therapeutic measures; and how individuals can access whatever therapeutic and prophylactic resources are available for them­selves, their families, and their communities. WHO Ethics in Pandemic Flu
  • Include appropriate publication of the public health law and educate the public on how to comply with both the letter and the spirit of the law. APHA Code of Ethics, 4.6.5.
  • Plans related to social-distancing measures should be made available in advance to the key actors who will be charged with implementing these measures so that they can adapt them to the local culture and context and prepare for their implementation. WHO Ethics in Pandemic Flu
  • [Communicate] the initiatives being undertaken to allow citizens or communities to participate in the develop­ment of pandemic response policies. WHO Ethics in Pandemic Flu
  • Communication should encourage individuals to partner with their communities and society at large. CDC Ethics in Pandemic Flu
  • Policy decisions and their justifications should be publicized and open to public scrutiny. WHO Ethics in Pandemic Flu
  • The decision-making criteria and procedures that will be used during an influenza pandemic should be communicated to the public as far in advance as possible. WHO Ethics in Pandemic Flu
  • The reasoning behind choices made is fully articulated (in language appropriate to particular audiences) and the values and principles justifying those decisions are clearly identified and open for examination. CDC Ethics in Pandemic Flu
  • It should be exceedingly clear why particular individuals or communities are being restricted and that the criteria that justify a restriction would be equally applied to any and all individuals meeting these same criteria. CDC Ethics in Pandemic Flu
  • Governments and the health care sector should ensure that the public is aware of: the rationale for restrictive measures; the benefits of compliance; and the consequences of non-compliance. University of Toronto
  • The rationales for priority setting decisions should be communicated to stakeholders, and should clearly demonstrate how these decisions are defensible in light of the priority setting criteria and available data and information. University of Toronto
  • Governments and the health care sector should publicize a clear rationale for giving priority access to health care services, including antivirals and vaccines, to particular groups, such as front-line health workers and those in emergency services. The decision makers should initiate and facilitate constructive public discussion about these choices. University of Toronto
  • Protect the confidentiality and security of per­sonal information and limit the disclosure of personal health information to the minimum necessary to achieve legitimate public health ob­jectives. WHO Ethics in Pandemic Flu
  • Information should be shared only for legitimate public health purposes, and to the maximum extent possible individuals should be informed about third parties’ access to their per­sonal information, the intended use of the infor­mation and the reasons the information is being shared. WHO Ethics in Pandemic Flu
  • Information should be provided thoughtfully, balancing when information should be shared with protection of privacy and public trust. CDC Ethics in Pandemic Flu
  • Have safeguards in place so that public health information does not harm individuals or communities APHA Code of Ethics, 4.1.5.
  • Give special attention to protecting the privacy and confidentiality of individuals when gathering data, collect only data elements and specimens necessary for disease control or protection, and remove personal identifying information from the data set as soon as it is no longer needed. APHA Code of Ethics, 4.2.5.
  • Balance the public’s need for information with the possibility that an investigation’s results will create undue burdens or stigma for populations, groups, or individuals or cause other adverse outcomes. APHA Code of Ethics, 4.2.6.
  • Notifications [to WHO] must be followed by ongoing communication of detailed public health information on the event, including, where possible, case definition, labora­tory results, source and type of the risk, number of cases and deaths, conditions affecting the spread of the disease and the health measures employed. WHO Ethics in Pandemic Flu
  • Governments should establish coherent and transparent communication policies that: promote collaboration between countries, par­ticularly at the regional level; explain the importance of international coop­eration in minimizing the adverse health, social, industrial, and economic effects of an influenza pandemic and its aftermath; and articulate how such international efforts are grounded in ethics and human rights. WHO Ethics in Pandemic Flu


What is Pandemic Ethics?

A pandemic is pervasive in scope and touches virtually every human-made system. In this dashboard, 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.

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