Skip to main content
Home / The International Journal of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease, Volume 18, Number 2

Attitudes towards involuntary incarceration for tuberculosis: a survey of Union members

Buy Article:

$34.78 + tax (Refund Policy)

BACKGROUND: Policies involving the use of involuntary incarceration for tuberculosis (TB) are highly ethically controversial. To encourage ethical reflection within the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (The Union), the Ethics Advisory Group (EAG) surveyed members regarding their attitudes and values relating to involuntary incarceration for TB.

METHODS: Members of the Union TB section were invited to respond to an anonymous web-based survey. The survey included both multiple choice questions describing a range of scenarios regarding involuntary incarceration, and free-text fields inviting respondents to provide general comments on ethical issues.

RESULTS: The survey was completed by 194 participants, 33 (17%) of whom were opposed to involuntary incarceration on principle. The age and sex of the respondents was not associated with likelihood of principled opposition; respondents from North America were least likely to be opposed to involuntary incarceration (P = 0.02). Respondents were most likely to consider involuntary incarceration for persons with known multidrug-resistant TB or a history of previous treatment default, and least likely where people lived alone, were university-educated or the main income provider for their families.

CONCLUSION: This survey found a wide range of viewpoints regarding involuntary incarceration, and highlights a number of key elements in ethical engagement with the tensions surrounding involuntary incarceration. We provide commentary on approaches to ethical policy making in the light of these findings.

Keywords: ethics; human rights; incarceration; transmission; tuberculosis

Document Type: Research Article

Affiliations: 1: Ethics Advisory Group, International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease, Paris, France; Victorian Infectious Disease Service, Royal Melbourne Hospital, at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, Parkville, Victoria, Australia 2: Health and Human Rights Division, Human Rights Watch, New York, New York, USA 3: Ethics Advisory Group, International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease, Paris, France 4: Ethics Advisory Group, International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease, Paris, France; The Epidemiology Laboratory (Epi-Lab), Khartoum, Sudan

Publication date: 01 February 2014

More about this publication?

  • The International Journal of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (IJTLD) is for clinical research and epidemiological studies on lung health, including articles on TB, TB-HIV and respiratory diseases such as COVID-19, asthma, COPD, child lung health and the hazards of tobacco and air pollution. Individuals and institutes can subscribe to the IJTLD online or in print – simply email us at [email protected] for details.

    The IJTLD is dedicated to understanding lung disease and to the dissemination of knowledge leading to better lung health. To allow us to share scientific research as rapidly as possible, the IJTLD is fast-tracking the publication of certain articles as preprints prior to their publication. Read fast-track articles.

  • Editorial Board
  • Information for Authors
  • Subscribe to this Title
  • International Journal of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease
  • Public Health Action
  • Ingenta Connect is not responsible for the content or availability of external websites

Share Content

  • Access Key
  • Free content
  • Partial Free content
  • New content
  • Open access content
  • Partial Open access content
  • Subscribed content
  • Partial Subscribed content
  • Free trial content