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Review
. 2013 Feb 28:6:1-5.
doi: 10.4137/IDRT.S11205. eCollection 2013.

Ethical dilemmas in protecting individual rights versus public protection in the case of infectious diseases

Kai-Lit Phua  1
Affiliations
Review

Ethical dilemmas in protecting individual rights versus public protection in the case of infectious diseases

Kai-Lit Phua. Infect Dis (Auckl). .

Abstract

Infectious diseases-including emerging and re-emerging diseases such as Ebola and tuberculosis-continue to be important causes of morbidity and mortality in the globalizing, contemporary world. This article discusses the ethical issues associated with protecting the rights of individuals versus the protection of the health of populations in the case of infectious diseases. The discussion uses the traditional medical ethics approach together with the public health approach presented by Faden and Shebaya.3 Infectious diseases such as Ebola hemorrhagic fever, Nipah virus and HIV/AIDS (together with tuberculosis) will be used to illustrate particular points in the discussion.

Keywords: ethics; individual rights; infectious diseases; public protection.

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References

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