Speach on ethics

SARS Outbreak in Toronto Greetings to all citizens of Toronto, I am Mr. Sur the minister of Public Health and Sanitation. Today being the World’s Health Day, I want to talk about SARS, which is our current concern as a country. Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is a viral disease that has affected several countries in the world and not only Toronto. As the minister of Public Health in this country, I would like to inform all citizens of this disease. Paquin (42) states that some of the signs and symptoms of SARS may include severe and chronic flu, fever, and cough; it is one of the respiratory distress syndromes. This disease is caused by a SARS corona virus, and diagnosis of this disease involves detecting the body temperature, hence people with temperatures beyond 380c may be suspected. This process involves the use of modern laboratory methods such as ELISA and X-rays. SARS, as you may be aware, does not have specific treatment, but medics and other scientists are coming up with drugs such as antipyretics, which help improve respiration. According to Paquin (52), there are various prevention measures that our health professionals should implement when dealing with SARS. These include isolation of the infected people from the healthy ones to prevent spreading of this virus. Quarantine should be done to the suspected individuals who may be carrying the infection. All the victims should respect and adhere to all the instructions given by their heath attendants. Having summarized the information about the disease, I would like to support my fellow colleagues who are against the idea of disclosing SARS information to the public.
My ministry and other stakeholders are working hard to fight this disease – to make it just a history and not an epidemic in our city. I wish this disease to be fully eradicated in this country just like small pox; I believe our struggle will bear fruit in due time. If one is diagnosed with the disease, do not cause havoc among other people by telling them he is affected – this should be a personal matter. At the same time, infected people should be granted confidentiality when they seek medical attention and the necessary measures to be taken by health professionals. Paquin (57) states that one should take care and not panic if the infection is suspected; instead, one he should seek medical attention as soon as possible. If you instill fear in people, this will affect our market stocks, since the citizens will not be free to trade, as they will not want to risk being infected. This, in turn, may affect the activity of Chinese businesses, essential to the economy of Toronto. All citizens, including health practitioners, should respect victims’ privacy and confidentiality of personal information.
Healthcare providers should perform their duty so professionally as to avoid becoming the next victims of SARS. Handle the patients with care and give them the attention they deserve. The media should be careful as regards the information aired out, so that people do not panic; before telling the public what is happening, confirm the situation first. This will help protect our country to continue getting foreign investors and at the same time the tourists and other visitors. Citizens who take care of the infected people should ensure their own protection when doing so and at the same time go for medical examination. If at any given time you learn of an individual who is suffering of SARS do not go around telling people the identity of this person; this information should be confidential, and disclosing it will affect the economy of Toronto.
In conclusion, I am very grateful to all the international bodies and other organizations that help us fight against this disease; I believe that in the near future Toronto shall be declared SARS free. This will not be achieved as only one person’s effort; let us all fight this battle and play the roles expected of us. Let us be our brother’s keepers by respecting every one’s opinion and cultural preferences when handling such matters. Let’s observe the abovementioned ethical principles and avoid infringing into the other peoples’ affairs. Telling the public information about SARS may have negative implications on our city development.
Thank you for listening to me.
Works Cited
Paquin, Leo. Ethical issues raised by the SARS outbreak in Toronto. Toronto: McGill University. 2005. Print.