Silent Public Health Disasters: An Anthropo-ecological Approach

Abstract

Some public health disasters may be ongoing, spreading but remain largely “silent”. This chapter clarifies the notion of silent public health disasters and applies this to the context of atypical drug-resistant tuberculosis (ADR-TB). It examines the nature of antimicrobial drug-resistance generally and ADR-TB in particular with the attendant public health implications. In addition, the chapter examines the attendant ethical quandaries and develops an anthropo-ecological moral approach in relation to engaging these moral perplexities.