Ethical issues in public health policy

Ethics in public health policy is given the least importance and rarely discussed. Resolving ethical issues in public health is often an arduous task as these are complicated and require careful handling. Using four case studies, we discuss issues pertaining to pertussis and brain damage, water fluoridation and dental caries, infection with the human immunodeficiency virus and the right to marriage, and the debate surrounding universal salt iodization. The core issue in all these examples pertains to the relevance of ethics in public health policy.