Pandemic influenza: human rights, ethics and duty to treat
- 1 January 2010
- journal article
- review article
- Published by Wiley in Acta Anaesthesiologica Scandinavica
- Vol. 54 (1), 9-15
- https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1399-6576.2009.02163.x
Abstract
The 2009 influenza A/H1N1 pandemic seems to be only moderately severe. In the future, a pandemic influenza with high lethality, such as the Spanish influenza in 1918-1919 or even worse, may emerge. In this kind of scenario, lethality rates ranging roughly from 2% to 30% have been proposed. Legal and ethical issues should be discussed before the incident. This article aims to highlight the legal, ethical and professional aspects that might be relevant to anaesthesiologists in the case of a high-lethality infectious disease such as a severe pandemic influenza. The epidemiology, the role of anaesthesiologists and possible threats to the profession and colleagueship within medical specialties relevant to anaesthesiologists are reviewed. During historical plague epidemics, some doctors have behaved like 'deserters'. However, during the Spanish influenza, physicians remained at their jobs, although many perished. In surveys, more than half of the health-care workers have reported their willingness to work in the case of severe pandemics. Physicians have the same human rights as all citizens: they have to be effectively protected against infectious disease. However, they have a duty to treat. Fair and responsible colleagueship among the diverse medical specialties should be promoted. Until disaster threatens humanity, volunteering to work during a pandemic might be the best way to ensure that physicians and other health-care workers stay at their workplace. Broad discussion in society is needed.Keywords
This publication has 51 references indexed in Scilit:
- Initial human transmission dynamics of the pandemic (H1N1) 2009 virus in North AmericaInfluenza and Other Respiratory Viruses, 2009
- PreparednessJournal of Public Health Management & Practice, 2008
- Finding the real case-fatality rate of H5N1 avian influenzaJournal of Epidemiology and Community Health, 2008
- Ethical planning for an influenza pandemicClinical Medicine, 2008
- The effect of public health measures on the 1918 influenza pandemic in U.S. citiesProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2007
- Public health interventions and epidemic intensity during the 1918 influenza pandemicProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2007
- Ethics in a Pandemic: A Survey of the State Pandemic Influenza PlansAmerican Journal of Public Health, 2007
- Virulent Epidemics and Scope of Healthcare Workers' Duty of CareEmerging Infectious Diseases, 2006
- Morbidity in Historical Plague EpidemicsPopulation Studies, 1987
- Demographic pattern in historyPopulation Studies, 1948