Pandemic flu an ethical dilemma
AP Photo/Kin Cheung
A public issue of protective masks is unlikely in the UK |
Pandemic flu, when it comes, will pose an ethical dilemma for health professionals who are likely to feel conflicting obligations towards patients and to members of their own families.
Speaking at a Hospital Pharmacists Group conference on emergency planning
last week, Lindsey Davies, national director of pandemic influenza preparedness
at the Department of Health, said: “We are looking at the human
resource issues of how far can and should you expect people to do their
duty, and to whom. There are some real ethical issues there.”
She said that it was highly likely that schools would be closed locally
for between three and six weeks because children were “super-spreaders” of
flu. Research was being commissioned on the likely impact of this on
the workforce and on the provision of alternative child-care arrangements.
Professor Davies added that local planners were actively considering
the potential for bringing back recently retired staff, particularly
in primary care, to meet any shortfalls.
The hope was that it would be possible to reduce the impact of pandemic
flu to that of a very bad seasonal flu winter. The first 100 known cases
of pandemic flu in the UK will be subject to extensive tests, but once
the pandemic starts, the plan will be to “throw everything at it”,
Professor Davies said.
Defence in depth
Planners are working on a five-point strategy
for “defence
in depth”. The planned five strategies are likely to be:
· Hygiene/masks/isolation — public funding
for the general issue of masks is unlikely but they are being considered
for health
and social care workers
· Antivirals — a stockpile sufficient to treat 25 per cent
of the population will be provided (Infected people will be told
to stay at home and get a friend to collect a supply. Alternatively,
the drugs will be delivered. People will be infectious for 24 hours
before they experience any symptoms.)
· Antibiotics — to reduce secondary infections
· Prepandemic vaccine — any decision to use a prepandemic vaccine
is still to be made
· Pandemic specific vaccine — cannot be produced in advance
or in large enough quantities to impact on the first wave of infection;
could possibly be produced quickly enough for a second wave |
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