Ethical Implementation of Immunity Passports During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract A number of countries are planning the use of “immunity passports” as a way to ease restrictive measures and allow infected and recovered people to return to work during the COVID-19 pandemic. This paper brings together key scientific uncertainties regarding the use of serological tests to assure immune status and a public health ethics perspective to inform key considerations in the ethical implementation of immunity passport policies. Ill-conceived policies have the potential to cause severe unintended harms that could result in greater inequity, the stigmatization of certain sectors of society, and heightened risks and unequal treatment of individuals due to erroneous test results. Immunity passports could, however, be used to achieve collective benefits and benefits for specific populations besides facilitating economic recovery. We conclude that sector-based policies that prioritize access to testing based on societal need are likely to be fairer and logistically more feasible, while minimizing stigma and reducing incentives for fraud. Clear guidelines need to be set out for which sectors of society should be prioritized for testing, and rigorous mechanisms should be in place to validate test results and identify cases of reinfection.

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An Overview of Ethics and Environmental Health

The Oxford Handbook of Public Health Ethics ◽

10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190245191.013.60 ◽

2019 ◽

pp. 697-703

Author(s):

David B. Resnik

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Environmental Health ◽

Environmental Ethics ◽

Ethical Issues ◽

Biomedical Ethics ◽

Public Health Ethics ◽

Social Utility ◽

Toxic Substances ◽

Health Ethics ◽

Wide Range

This chapter provides an overview of the ethics of environmental health, and it introduces five chapters in the related section of The Oxford Handbook of Public Health Ethics. A wide range of ethical issues arises in managing the relationship between human health and the environment, including regulation of toxic substances, air and water pollution, waste management, agriculture, the built environment, occupational health, energy production and use, environmental justice, population control, and climate change. The values at stake in environmental health ethics include those usually mentioned in ethical debates in biomedicine and public health, such as autonomy, social utility, and justice, as well as values that address environmental concerns, such as animal welfare, stewardship of biological resources, and sustainability. Environmental health ethics, therefore, stands at the crossroads of several disciplines, including public health ethics, environmental ethics, biomedical ethics, and business ethics.

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An Overview of the Ethics of Injury in Public Health

The Oxford Handbook of Public Health Ethics ◽

10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190245191.013.51 ◽

2019 ◽

pp. 597-603

Author(s):

Adnan A. Hyder

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Injury Prevention ◽

Prevention And Control ◽

Public Health Ethics ◽

Ethical Challenges ◽

Middle Income ◽

Middle Income Countries ◽

Health Ethics ◽

Prompt Attention ◽

And Control

This chapter briefly introduces ethics issues in injury prevention and control in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), using a series of examples that prompt attention to the ethical principles of autonomy and justice. The chapter also introduces the section of The Oxford Handbook of Public Health Ethics dedicated to an examination of injury and public health ethics, with attention given to the complex ethical challenges arising in injury prevention and control in LMICs. The section’s two chapters discuss public health ethics issues arising in the prevention and control of unintentional injuries and intentional injuries, respectively. Those chapters define a set of ethics issues within international injury work and provide an initial analysis of the nature of those ethics issues, their specificity, and potential pathways for addressing them.

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Innovative methods in teaching public health ethics. The need to adapt to the new times: from challenge to opportunity

European Journal of Public Health ◽

10.1093/eurpub/ckaa165.729 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽

Author(s):

A Buron Pust ◽

A Segura

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Teaching Strategies ◽

Flipped Classroom ◽

Role Playing ◽

Public Health Ethics ◽

Master Of Public Health ◽

Health Ethics ◽

Parliamentary Debate ◽

Massive Online Open Courses ◽

Open Courses

Abstract Background Public Health Ethics (PHE) has been taught first as optional and later as a mandatory subject in the Master of Public Health in Barcelona for about 6 years. During these years, professors have adapted the methodology to make it more attractive and to maximize students' participation and time spent debating and practicing moral reasoning. Objectives To showcase 3 different teaching strategies or methods, presenting for each of them: resources required, outcomes so far in terms of satisfaction and exam performance, as well as the pros and cons from the teacher's perspective. Results Flipped-classroom strategy: theoretical content is delivered outside the classroom, and the practice into the classroom. Works well but needs incentives for compliance in reading. Versatile debating Methods: from parliamentary debate, to role-playing, online debate, etc. Depending on the Case-study, some work better than others; in the online they practice written deliberation skills, but it is important to set rules. MOOC: Massive Online Open Courses in PHE. Can be used as independent teaching material, it is a great tool to introduce PHE into other PH areas and non-teaching environments. Conclusions So far, these methods have proven to increase students' motivation and engagement in Public Health Ethics. Key messages Practising reflection and debating skills is an essential part of PHE. Modern teaching strategies, more interactive and online-based, can help maximising the time spent in these activities. Although challenging and time-consuming at first, these methods also increase students' interest in PHE.

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