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Case study: infectious disease

Case study: infectious disease. Professor Anne Johnson FMedSci Head, Department of Primary Care and Population Sciences, Royal Free and University College Medical School, London. Background. Globally: infections cause over a fifth of all deaths

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Case study: infectious disease

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  1. Case study: infectious disease Professor Anne Johnson FMedSciHead, Department of Primary Care and Population Sciences, Royal Free and University College Medical School, London

  2. Background Globally: • infections cause over a fifth of all deaths • a million children die each year from diseases preventable through vaccination In the UK, infectious diseases account for: • over 10% of deaths • one in three GP consultations New infectious diseases: one per year

  3. Public health measures relating to infectious disease • Prevention through vaccination • Surveillance • Control strategies

  4. Prevention through vaccination • Aims of vaccination: • to protect individuals • to protect vulnerable or at-risk individuals • to achieve ‘population immunity’ • Concerns about safety of vaccines • ‘Free riders’

  5. Prevention through vaccination • Three broad approaches to vaccination policy: • voluntary • incentivised • quasi-mandatory Conclusions: • No justification for moving beyond voluntary system in UK for childhood vaccination

  6. Surveillance • Population surveillance using anonymised data • Conclusion: acceptable for predicting trends • Notifiable disease surveillance using identifying data • Conclusion: acceptable for avoiding harm to others if invasion of privacy is minimised

  7. Surveillance • Global surveillance of infectious diseases is vital • Problems if countries do not have capacity or do not cooperate • Conclusions: • UK should enhance surveillance capacities of developing countries • WHO should explore virus isolates as ‘public good’ • WHO should impress social responsibilities on pharmaceutical companies

  8. Control • Quarantine and isolation are at the top of the intervention ladder • Conclusion: ethical justification involves weighing the harm principle with consent and avoiding intrusive interventions

  9. Information and communication • Effective communication is crucial • Risks should not be downplayed or overstated • Conclusions: • Government should ensure the timely provision of information about outbreaks • Those who report research have a duty to communicate findings in a responsible manner

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