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This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) All Versions of this Article: AJPH.2006.093443v1 97/Supplement_1/S26    most recent Submit a response Purchase Article View Shopping Cart Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Thomas, J. C. Articles by Martinot, A. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Thomas, J. C. Articles by Martinot, A.

James C. Thomas, PhD, MPH, Nabarun Dasgupta, MPH and Amanda Martinot, DVM

The authors are with the Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.

Correspondence: Requests for reprints should be sent to James C. Thomas, Department of Epidemiology, Campus Box 7435, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599–7435 (e-mail: jim.thomas{at}unc.edu).

A pandemic of highly pathogenic influenza would threaten the lives of hundreds of thousands in the United States and confront governments and organizations, with ethical issues having wide-ranging implications. The Department of Health and Human Services and all states have published pandemic influenza plans.

We analyzed the federal and state plans, available on the Internet, for evidence of ethical guidance as judged by the presence of ethical terms. The most striking finding was an absence of ethical language. Although some states acknowledged the need for ethical decisionmaking, very few prescribed how it should happen. If faced by a pandemic in the near future, we stand the risk of making many unjust and regrettable decisions.