Confronting the ethics of pandemic influenza planning: communiqué from the 2008 Summit of the States

Abstract

Recognizing the vital role that public health departments play in planning for an outbreak of pandemic influenza, this “Summit of the States” was convened on July 14-15, 2008, on the campus of Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) by the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, the Indiana State Department of Health and the Indiana University Center for Bioethics. Invitations were extended to all 50 states, 6 territories and the District of Columbia. More than 150 delegates from 35 jurisdictions accepted, making this one of the largest gatherings of senior leadership from state and territorial public health departments ever convened to discuss the ethical issues in pandemic influenza planning.