In his New York Times blog Moral of the Story, Randy Cohen addresses the ethics and morality of steps we can take to fight flu infection:
“Wash your hands when you shake hands; cover your mouth when you cough,” President Obama urged us at last Tuesday’s news conference when discussing the swine flu. “I know it sounds trivial, but it makes a huge difference. If you are sick, stay home. If your child is sick, keep them out of school. If you are feeling certain flu symptoms, don’t get on an airplane, don’t get on a—any system of public transportation where you’re confined and you could potentially spread the virus.” Is such modest, homespun advice merely good manners, or is it a moral injunction?
[…]Those presidential dictates, while fundamentally ethical, are not universally applicable. Some employees, particularly low-wage workers, risk losing pay or even getting fired if they stay home from work to avoid infecting their coworkers. If we expect individuals to act ethically, we have a societal obligation to protect them when they do—for instance, by guaranteeing paid sick days to all.
Another argument for a community response, for the practice of civic virtue: even if someone displays impressive individual rectitude, he may still unknowingly infect other people with swine flu (or, if you prefer a more pork-chop-friendly designation, the H1N1 virus). Dr. Michelle Barry, the dean of Global Health at Stanford University, says, “You may not be aware you are transmitting it early on.” People can be contagious for as long as six days before displaying any symptoms—and, she adds, “longer in kids and immuno-compromised folks.”
Read the full post here.