ABSTRACT
In a crisis situation, there are fears that healthcare workers not show up for work, for fear of infection. The health professionals' responsibility and it also creates much controversy as to its limits. To summarize, crises related to infectious diseases are inevitable, and a major crisis, such as a pandemic, is also a strong possibility. Therefore, it is certainly useful for healthcare professionals to consider what their responsibilities should be in infectious disease-related crisis situations, as it is very probable that they face these responsibilities in practice. Healthcare professions are not unique in that their occupants face dangers. There can be far more dangerous jobs, like putting out fires, or chasing criminals. But when it comes to infectious diseases, the big difference is that healthcare professionals carry the danger with them. Today's public health threats, like past epidemics, call for a coherent professional ethic setting forth the parameters of a duty to treat.
