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Source: http://telegraphjournal.canadaeast.c...article/683708
Researchers looking for answers
Published Saturday May 30th, 2009
Ethics Group getting opinions on how to save lives when pandemic strikes
SAINT JOHN - First there was SARS and then there was swine flu.
Now a group of researchers from the University of Toronto is trying to answer the questions that remain unanswered in the wake of both viruses.
Dr. Ross Upshur is the director of the University of Toronto Joint Centre for Bioethics and the project's lead researcher. He was on the front lines when 50,000 people were quarantined during the SARS outbreak in Toronto. He and his group were at the Delta Brunswick hotel Friday.
"The big question is, did we actually learn the lessons," Upshur said.
Saint John was the last stop in a three-city tour as Upshur and his team collect comments from health care professionals and, more important, the public. By using a town hall format, a questionnaire and group meetings, the information collected will eventually be assembled into a report that could save lives when a pandemic strikes.
"We're looking for Joe on the street," Upsur said.
Upsur and his team can be reached through their website at www.canprep.ca.
As was the case during SARS, Upsur said Canadians are willing to do the what's best for the public good, but they also want to know that their government and their employers support them. Being quarantined for a week is something most are willing to do if they are a possible threat to others, but they expect their jobs to be there when the dangers passes. Other questions surround health care workers and whether they should be compelled by governments to treat people with diseases such as SARS even though they might put their own lives at risk.
Who gets treated first in the face of a pandemic is one of the ethical questions that needs an answer before the country finds itself in the middle of a crisis.
"Now is the time to have those conversations," said Jennifer Gibson, director of partnerships with the centre.
"They appreciate the difficulty of the choices that have to be made," Gibson said of the people they have spoken to.
As was the case with swine flu, media reports fueled a fire that, at times, raged out of control.
Gibson said sometimes health authorities have to admit they don't have all the answers and work with groups such as the media to ensure the information is communicated properly.
"The health sector needs to see the media as an important partnership," Gibson said.
The tightrope that has to be walked spans panic on one side and protecting the public on the other. "It is a difficult to find that balance," Gibson said.
Researchers looking for answers
Published Saturday May 30th, 2009
Ethics Group getting opinions on how to save lives when pandemic strikes
SAINT JOHN - First there was SARS and then there was swine flu.
Now a group of researchers from the University of Toronto is trying to answer the questions that remain unanswered in the wake of both viruses.
Dr. Ross Upshur is the director of the University of Toronto Joint Centre for Bioethics and the project's lead researcher. He was on the front lines when 50,000 people were quarantined during the SARS outbreak in Toronto. He and his group were at the Delta Brunswick hotel Friday.
"The big question is, did we actually learn the lessons," Upshur said.
Saint John was the last stop in a three-city tour as Upshur and his team collect comments from health care professionals and, more important, the public. By using a town hall format, a questionnaire and group meetings, the information collected will eventually be assembled into a report that could save lives when a pandemic strikes.
"We're looking for Joe on the street," Upsur said.
Upsur and his team can be reached through their website at www.canprep.ca.
As was the case during SARS, Upsur said Canadians are willing to do the what's best for the public good, but they also want to know that their government and their employers support them. Being quarantined for a week is something most are willing to do if they are a possible threat to others, but they expect their jobs to be there when the dangers passes. Other questions surround health care workers and whether they should be compelled by governments to treat people with diseases such as SARS even though they might put their own lives at risk.
Who gets treated first in the face of a pandemic is one of the ethical questions that needs an answer before the country finds itself in the middle of a crisis.
"Now is the time to have those conversations," said Jennifer Gibson, director of partnerships with the centre.
"They appreciate the difficulty of the choices that have to be made," Gibson said of the people they have spoken to.
As was the case with swine flu, media reports fueled a fire that, at times, raged out of control.
Gibson said sometimes health authorities have to admit they don't have all the answers and work with groups such as the media to ensure the information is communicated properly.
"The health sector needs to see the media as an important partnership," Gibson said.
The tightrope that has to be walked spans panic on one side and protecting the public on the other. "It is a difficult to find that balance," Gibson said.