Human cases of swine influenza A (H1N1) virus infection have been identified in the United States and internationally, and U.S. officials declared a public health emergency on April 26. Ethical issues may arise if the illness spreads or its severity worsens, in which case measures such quarantine, school closures, and transportation restrictions are likely to be considered. These measures work with the most benefit and least friction when they are voluntary.

The Hastings Center has resources and experts available on the ethical issues involved. Hastings Center scholar Nancy Berlinger, PhD, is the coauthor of The Five People You Meet in a Pandemic—and What They Need from You Today. This peer-reviewed backgrounder, based on a 2006 meeting of 18 ethical, public health, and scientific experts held at The Hastings Center, presents an ethical framework for pandemic planners. The backgrounder includes flu facts and extensive resources, and provides examples of five representative people around whom resource sharing decisions might be made, ranging from the triage doctor to the truck driver carrying supplies.

Dr. Berlinger can be reached at berlingern@thehastingscenter.org, or  917-586-2672.

The Center’s Bioethics Briefing Book has a chapter on Influenza Pandemic by Howard Markel, MD, PhD, Director, Center for the History of Medicine, University of Michigan,  and Alexandra Minna Stern, PhD, Associate Director, Center for the History of Medicine, University of Michigan. Dr. Markel is the author of When Germs Travel: Six Epidemics That Invaded America since 1900 and the Fears They Unleashed. The chapter examines how communities can apply measures such as quarantine in a manner that maximizes the common good and minimizes negative social and economic consequences, as well as the ethical implications of balancing individual liberties with the need to protect the public’s health.

Dr. Markel can be reached at 734-647-6914 or howard@umich.edu; Dr. Stern can be reached at 734-647-6914 or amstern@umich.edu.

Another chapter on Disaster Planning and Preparedness, by Bruce Jennings, MA, Director of the Center for Humans and Nature and a Hastings Center Fellow, notes that with few exceptions, there is no explicit reference to ethical issues in federal and state pandemic plans. Planners should identify potential burdens of these measures, and the chapter outlines seven ethical goals for public health emergency preparedness and response.

Mr. Jennings can be reached at 212-362-7170 or brucejennings@humansandnature.org.

Contact: Mary Crowley, Director of Public Affairs and Communications, 917-282-8799, crowleym@thehastingscenter.org