Setting the public health ethics agenda on emerging threats: Nipah virus as a priority pathogen
Tess Johnson1, University Of Oxford Oxford 1University Of Oxford, Oxford United Kingdom
Abstract
Nipah virus is currently emerging as a priority pathogen receiving increasing attention in the epidemiological and other scientific literatures. Whilst the burden of disease is currently low, Nipah virus disease is characterised by high mortality rates, and with further mutation it might pose a serious threat to public health in the event of further outbreaks. Despite recognition of this emerging threat, it has received little attention in the social sciences and humanities, with no existing bioethical work examining ethical considerations surrounding the transmission, prevention, and treatment of Nipah virus disease. The lack of bioethical work is particularly concerning given that preparations have already begun for animal and human vaccine trials in Southeast Asia. In this paper, we advance the case for further work on Nipah virus disease in public health ethics due to the distinct issues it raises concerning modes of transmission, the burdens of public health surveillance, and social and religious norms intersecting with and complicating preventive measures. We also advance the case for further work on Nipah virus disease in research ethics, given ethical concerns surrounding vaccine trials for a disease with sporadic spillover events, specifics of local contexts where trials may occur, and the use of unproven therapeutics. To ensure that research and public health interventions surrounding Nipah are ethically acceptable, further work in public health ethics to address this emerging threat is urgently needed.
Authors: Tess Johnson, Euzebiusz Jamrozik, Tara Hurst, Phaik Yeong Cheah, Michael Parker
Biography
Dr Tess Johnson is a postdoctoral researcher in the ethics of pandemic preparedness, surveillance and response. She is based at the Ethox Centre, University of Oxford, with a primary interest in public health ethics. She received her DPhil in Philosophy at University of Oxford in 2022.