Making State Public Health Laws Work for Sars Outbreaks

Richards, Edward P.; Rathbun, Katharine C.

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Making State Public Health Laws Work for Sars Outbreaks

Emerging Infectious Diseases Journal, Vol. 10, p. 356, February 2004

2 Pages Posted: 2 Aug 2011

See all articles by Edward P. Richards

Edward P. Richards

Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge - Paul M. Hebert Law Center

In their article, HHS/CDC Legal Response to Outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), Misrahi, et al. (Emerg Infect Dis 2004:10:353–5.) describe the updated federal laws and response plans for handling SARS and related communicable diseases. Federal authority is important to control the interstate and international movement of persons who are potentially infectious, but most isolation and quarantine orders will be performed by state and local officials, using state and local law. We discuss how existing laws might be modified to facilitate effective SARS control while providing legal protections to restricted persons.

Keywords: public health, emergency response, SARS, isolation, quarantine

JEL Classification: I18

Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation

Richards, Edward P. and Rathbun, Katharine C., Making State Public Health Laws Work for Sars Outbreaks (February 2004). Emerging Infectious Diseases Journal, Vol. 10, p. 356, February 2004, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1899343