Ethics and Security Aspects of Infectious Disease Control: Introduction

Abstract

This introduction presents an overview of key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book applies security and ethical concepts to the issue of infectious disease, with a focus on HIV/AIDS. It compares historical experiences in nineteenth century Europe with the cholera outbreak in Zimbabwe in 2008-09 a severe and prolonged outbreak that occasions reassessment of the security dimensions of cholera and efforts to control it. The book focuses on the key issue of surveillance, a disease control measure with potential security connotations and which gives rise to a number of ethical dilemmas. It outlines the role played by the traditional mass media in relation to human and national security and then addresses numerous issues concerning media ethics. These include the content of media coverage, the relationship between journalists and their audience, and the role of the mass media in contemporary civic societies.