WHO Guidelines on Ethical Issues in Public Health Surveillance
Abstract
Public health surveillance is the bedrock
of outbreak and epidemic response, but it
reaches far beyond infectious diseases. It is
sometimes called the radar of public health:
it allows health offi cials to map disease, spot
patterns, identify causes, and target interventions.
Surveillance, for example, is central to
understanding the increasing global burden
of noncommunicable conditions. By helping
to determine patterns and causes of morbidity
and mortality, it can help guarantee access to
safe food, clean water, pure air, and healthy
environments.
Surveillance, when conducted ethically, is the
foundation for programs to promote human
well-being at the population level. It can contribute
to reducing inequalities: pockets of suffering
that are unfair, unjust and preventable
cannot be addressed if they are not fi rst made
visible. But surveillance is not without risks
for participants and sometimes poses ethical
dilemmas. Issues about privacy, autonomy,
equity, and the common good need to be considered
and balanced, and knowing how to do
so can be challenging in practice.
The WHO Guidelines on
Ethical Issues in Public Health Surveillance is
the fi rst international framework of its kind, it
fi lls an important gap. The goal of the guideline
development project was to to help policymakers
and practitioners navigate the ethical
issues presented by public health surveillance.
This document outlines 17 ethical guidelines
that can assist everyone involved in public
health surveillance, including offi cials in government
agencies, health workers, NGOs and
the private sector