Genetic Epidemiology, Infectious Disease, and Public Health Ethics

2019 ◽  
pp. 677-695
Author(s):  
Priya Duggal ◽  
Gail Geller ◽  
Andrea Sutherland
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Infectious Disease ◽  
Infectious Diseases ◽  
Ethical Issues ◽  
Health Interventions ◽  
Policy Recommendations ◽  
Number Of Factors ◽  
Therapeutic Measures ◽  
And Control ◽  
Public Health Strategies

This chapter outlines the ethical issues raised by the use of genomics in the study of infectious disease, in research and development of preventive and therapeutic measures, and to inform public health interventions and policies. More than two decades of ethical, legal, and social implications (ELSI) research on the application of genomics to complex diseases have produced many insights that are also relevant to infectious diseases; however, a number of factors unique to infectious diseases underscore the importance of identifying novel ELSI issues that might emerge from the application of genomics in this context, including issues surrounding personalized medicine and public health. While the science of genomics in the context of infectious disease is still in its infancy, and it is too early to identify all of the potential ELSI issues that may emerge from it, policy recommendations for public health strategies to prevent and control infectious disease must attend to such concerns.

scholarly journals A general approach to compensation for losses incurred due to public health interventions in the infectious disease context

2020 ◽  
Vol 38 (S1) ◽  
pp. 32-46
Author(s):  
Søren Holm
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Infectious Disease ◽  
Infectious Diseases ◽  
Personal Responsibility ◽  
Health Interventions ◽  
Test Cases ◽  
Care Provision ◽  
Public Health Interventions ◽  
Current Compensation ◽  
Compensation Mechanisms

AbstractThis paper develops a general approach to how society should compensate for losses that individuals incur due to public health interventions aimed at controlling the spread of infectious diseases. The paper falls in three parts. The first part provides an initial introduction to the issues and briefly outlines five different kinds of public health interventions that will be used as test cases. They are all directed at individuals and aimed at controlling the spread of infectious diseases (1) isolation, (2) quarantine, (3) recommended voluntary social distancing, (4) changes in health care provision for asymptomatic carriers of multi-resistant microorganisms, and (5) vaccination. The interventions will be briefly described including the various risks, burdens and harms individuals who are subject to these interventions may incur. The second part briefly surveys current compensation mechanisms as far as any exist and argue that even where they exist they are clearly insufficient and do not provide adequate compensation. The third part will then develop a general framework for compensation for losses incurred due to public health interventions in the infectious disease context. This is the major analytical and constructive part of the paper. It first analyses pragmatic and ethical arguments supporting the existence of an obligation on the part of the state to compensate for such losses, and then considers whether this obligation can be defeated by (1) resource considerations, or (2) issues relating to personal responsibility.

Unhealthy behaviour is contagious: an invitation to exploit models for infectious diseases

2012 ◽  
Vol 141 (3) ◽  
pp. 667-669 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. J. BLOK ◽  
P. VAN EMPELEN ◽  
F. J. VAN LENTHE ◽  
J. H. RICHARDUS ◽  
S. J. DE VLAS
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Infectious Disease ◽  
Infectious Diseases ◽  
Social Environment ◽  
Great Promise ◽  
The Social ◽  
Unhealthy Behaviour ◽  
And Control

SUMMARYWe argue that the spread of unhealthy behaviour shows marked similarities with infectious diseases. It is therefore interesting and challenging to use infectious disease methodologies for studying the spread and control of unhealthy behaviour. This would be a great addition to current methods, because it allows taking into account the dynamics of individual interactions and the social environment at large. In particular, the application of individual-based modelling holds great promise to address some major public health questions.

Biosecurity and Public Health Ethics Issues Raised by Biological Threats

2019 ◽  
pp. 773-785
Author(s):  
Nicholas Evans ◽  
Thomas Inglesby
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Resource Allocation ◽  
Infectious Diseases ◽  
Ethical Issues ◽  
Emerging Infectious Diseases ◽  
Biological Weapon ◽  
Ethical Values ◽  
Dual Use ◽  
Health Concerns ◽  
Trade Offs

This chapter introduces ethical issues that arise in the context of biosecurity: policies and actions intended to prevent the development or emergence, or mitigate the consequences, of serious biological threats. These threats could include deliberate biological weapon attacks (bioterrorism), pandemics, emerging infectious diseases, or major laboratory accidents. The basic values that underpin these public health concerns are first introduced. Ethical issues that arise before, during, and following a biosecurity crisis are then examined, including issues of resource allocation, dual-use research, and the possibility of quarantine. Their resolution requires trade-offs among different ethical values, including utility, fairness, and liberty.

Communicable and Other Infectious Diseases

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Markus Frischhut
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
European Union ◽  
Infectious Diseases ◽  
Disease Transmission ◽  
Eu Law ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Ethical Perspective ◽  
Health Measures ◽  
Environment Agency ◽  
And Control

This chapter discusses the most important features of EU law on infectious diseases. Communicable diseases not only cross borders, they also often require measures that cross different areas of policy because of different vectors for disease transmission. The relevant EU law cannot be attributed to one sectoral policy only, and thus various EU agencies participate in protecting public health. The key agency is the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. Other important agencies include the European Environment Agency; European Food Safety Authority; and the Consumers, Health, Agriculture and Food Executive Agency. However, while integration at the EU level has facilitated protection of the public's health, it also has created potential conflicts among the different objectives of the European Union. The internal market promotes the free movement of products, but public health measures can require restrictions of trade. Other conflicts can arise if protective public health measures conflict with individual human rights. The chapter then considers risk assessment and the different tools of risk management used in dealing with the challenges of infectious diseases. It also turns to the external and ethical perspective and the role the European Union takes in global health.

scholarly journals Spatiotemporal patterns and progression of the Delta variant of COVID-19 and their health intervention linkages in Southeast Asia

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wei Luo ◽  
Zhaoyin Liu ◽  
Yuxuan Zhou ◽  
Yumin Zhao ◽  
Yunyue Elita Li ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Southeast Asia ◽  
Spatiotemporal Analysis ◽  
Health Interventions ◽  
Disease Spread ◽  
Epidemic Dynamics ◽  
Health Measures ◽  
Global Pandemic ◽  
Public Health Strategies ◽  
Time Scan

The global pandemic of COVID-19 presented an unprecedented challenge to all countries in the world, among which Southeast Asia (SEA) countries managed to maintain and mitigate the first wave of COVID-19 in 2020. However, these countries were caught in the crisis after the Delta variant was introduced to SEA, though many countries had immediately implemented non-pharmaceutical intervention (NPI) measures along with vaccination in order to contain the disease spread. To investigate the potential linkages between epidemic dynamics and public health interventions, we adopted a prospective space-time scan method to conduct spatiotemporal analysis at the district level in the seven selected countries in SEA from June 2021 to October 2021. Results reveal the spatial and temporal propagation and progression of COVID-19 risks relative to public health measures implemented by different countries. Our research benefits continuous improvements of public health strategies in preventing and containing this pandemic.

scholarly journals Canada’s rapid research response to the COVID-19 pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 44 (2/3) ◽  
pp. 50-67
Author(s):  
Vanja Stojanovic
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Infectious Disease ◽  
Bibliometric Analysis ◽  
Infection Prevention ◽  
Vaccine Development ◽  
Research Output ◽  
Effective Response ◽  
Research Areas ◽  
Public Health Strategies

This study assesses the nature of Canada’s rapid research response through term and keyword bibliometric analysis. The following asks: What are the major areas of COVID-19 rapid research output conducted in Canada during the first five and half months of 2020, and how can the results of this analysis inform future accelerated research efforts toward an effective response to infectious disease emergencies? The results suggest that infection prevention, epidemiology, therapeutics, and public health strategies were among the top-producing research areas in Canada during the onset of the pandemic. Moreover, the analysis reflects gaps in the literature addressing diagnostics and vaccine development.

scholarly journals Engaging Ethical Issues Associated with Research and Public Health Interventions During Humanitarian Crises: Review of a Dialogic Workshop

2018 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anushree Dave ◽  
Julie Cumin ◽  
Ryoa Chung ◽  
Matthew Hunt
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Ethical Issues ◽  
Healthcare Delivery ◽  
Health Interventions ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Public Health Interventions ◽  
Extensive Discussion ◽  
Health Ethics ◽  
Humanitarian Crises ◽  
Health Equity Research

On November 7th, 2014 the Humanitarian Health Ethics Workshop was held at McGill University, in Montreal. Co-hosted by the Montreal Health Equity Research Consortium and the Humanitarian Health Ethics Network, the event included six presentations and extensive discussion amongst participants, including researchers from Canada, Haiti, India, Switzerland and the US. Participants had training in disciplines including anthropology, bioethics, medicine, occupational therapy, philosophy, physical therapy, political science, public administration and public health. The objective of the workshop was to create a forum for discussion amongst scholars and practitioners interested in the ethics of healthcare delivery, research and public health interventions during humanitarian crises. This review is a summary of the presentations given, key themes that emerged during the day’s discussions, and avenues for future research that were identified.

scholarly journals The Empowerment of Integrated Development Post of Non-Communicable Diseases in Efforts to Prevent and Control Non- Communicable Diseases

2016 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 294
Author(s):  
Yandrizal Yandrizal ◽  
Rizanda Machmud ◽  
Melinda Noer ◽  
Hardisman Hardisman ◽  
Afrizal Afrizal ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Infectious Disease ◽  
Early Detection ◽  
Communicable Disease ◽  
Communicable Diseases ◽  
Combination Method ◽  
Integrated Development ◽  
Non Communicable Diseases ◽  
And Control ◽  
Non Communicable Disease

Non-Communicable disease has already been the main cause of death in many countries, as many as 57 million death in the world in 2008, 36 million (63 percent) is because of un-infectious disease, specifically heart illness, diabetes, cancer, and chronic respiratory diseases. Prevention and controlling efforts of un-infectious diseases developing in Indonesia is non-communicable disease integrated development post (Pospindu PTM). This research used combination method approach with exploratory design. Exploratory design with sequential procedure used combination consecutively, the first is qualitative and the second is quantitative method. Public Health Center formed Posbindu PTM has not disseminate yet to all stakeholders. Posbindu PTM members felt benefit by following this activity. Some of them did not know follow the activity because of unknown about it. There was  connection between coming behavior to Posbindu PTM to preventing behavior of non-communicable disease.Percentage for high blood pressure risk indicated 20-25 percent from all visitors. Formulation of its policy implementation started with stakeholder analysis; head of sub district, head of urban village, head of health department in regency/city, head of public health service, head of neighborhood Association, and the head of family welfare development.  Analysis of perception, power and authority found that every stakeholder had authority to manage the member directly or indirectly. It was not implemented because of the lack knowledge of stakeholders about the Posbindu PTM function.They would play a role after knowing the aim and advantage of the post by motivate the people to do early detection, prevention and control the non-communicable disease. The members were given wide knowledge about  early detection, preventing  and control the un-infectious disease, measuring and checking up their healthy continuously so that keep feeling the advantage of coming to the post.

scholarly journals Patterns of smallpox mortality in London, England, over three centuries

PLoS Biology ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 18 (12) ◽  
pp. e3000506
Author(s):  
Olga Krylova ◽  
David J. D. Earn
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Infectious Disease ◽  
Time Series ◽  
Spectral Analysis ◽  
Infectious Diseases ◽  
Health Policies ◽  
Human Populations ◽  
Public Health Policies ◽  
History Of ◽  
History Of Control

Smallpox is unique among infectious diseases in the degree to which it devastated human populations, its long history of control interventions, and the fact that it has been successfully eradicated. Mortality from smallpox in London, England was carefully documented, weekly, for nearly 300 years, providing a rare and valuable source for the study of ecology and evolution of infectious disease. We describe and analyze smallpox mortality in London from 1664 to 1930. We digitized the weekly records published in the London Bills of Mortality (LBoM) and the Registrar General’s Weekly Returns (RGWRs). We annotated the resulting time series with a sequence of historical events that might have influenced smallpox dynamics in London. We present a spectral analysis that reveals how periodicities in reported smallpox mortality changed over decades and centuries; many of these changes in epidemic patterns are correlated with changes in control interventions and public health policies. We also examine how the seasonality of reported smallpox mortality changed from the 17th to 20th centuries in London.

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