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Guidelines for During a Pandemic

An epidemic that spreads to several countries becomes a pandemic.

If it is a new pathogen, there are questions about how it spreads and how to contain it.

Cures and vaccines are months, if not years away. There is often much confusion and panic.

Ethical guidelines can help policymakers avoid over- or under-reacting to the threat.

Select a common ethical issue to see recommendations for ethical action:



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.

Contact Jim Thomas