In recent months, H5N1 or HPAI (highly pathogenic avian influenza), commonly referred to as bird flu, has become a growing concern for public health authorities. Mitigation efforts, including surveillance and testing of livestock populations, were increased after two human cases of H5N1 in the U.S.
were identified in dairy farm workers, but how do we determine which interventions would be most ethical? Maxwell Smith is a health studies professor and Western's first Canadian Institutes of Health Research Chair in Applied Public Health. He studies the ethical dimensions of responding to infectious diseases and spoke with Western News about some of the ethical concerns around mitigating the impact of H5N1. Maxwell Smith: There are unique ethical issues regarding the efforts used to prevent an outbreak in humans.
For example, when is it justified to require the testing of livestock, to restrict livestock and livestock products across borders or cull animals? These measures could help prevent transmission of H5N1, but they come with costs that are often borne by farmers and the agriculture industry . This creates challenging ethical questions about the right course of action. There are also important ethical issues surrounding preparedness.
Lack of sufficient surveillance and vaccine manufacturing or procurement may mean we will be caught off-guard if there is an outbreak. Being ill-prepared often means having to make more difficult decisions later. The COVID-19 pandemic brought u.
