傳染病有其特殊性。傳染性疾病與非傳染性疾病最大的差別在於，傳染病會透過人與人或者環境來達到擴散的目的，導致生命財產的損失。從流感大流行、SARS疫情的慘痛經驗、多重抗藥性結核病的氾濫、愛滋病人及其他性傳染病的被標籤化、伊波拉病毒肆虐西非導致貧民區宵禁等，我們又學到什麼?
在傳染病的防治與控制的思考上，個人的權利和群體的利益，不時會有相互衝撞的問題。法律是最低的生活標準，也是社會運作的底線，當有發生群突發的可能時，除了依法行政以外，是否也要考慮，回歸到倫理這個社會賴以運作的常規來處理呢?
本課程將由授課教師本身的傳染病防治實務經驗講授與介紹，給予同學傳染病防治及公共衛生單位，在工作推動過程中真實面臨的倫理困境；搭配特定疾病，就實務和理論，進行深入的批判和討論，讓同學能夠在課程中，增加自我批判省思的能力，以期於課程後，對相關議題有獨立判斷面對挑戰的能力。

Communicable disease is quite different from non-communicable disease. Communicable disease can spread due to direct human to human contact or human to human contact mediated by the environment. In either case, communicable disease can lead to great losses of both life and property. But what have we learned from outbreaks of communicable disease? From influenza pandemics, lessons from Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), emergency of multi-drug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB), the stigmatization of sexually-transmitted diseases such as acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) to curfews in Western Africa meant to curb the spread of Ebola in Monrovia's West Point slum; there have been many lessons, but what have we actually learned?
The Communicable Disease Act gives the government the power to intervene--when necessary--in the private sector for the preservation of the health, safety, and morals of the community. Pursuant to this constitutional authority, all counties and cities have enacted public health statutes designed to control the spread of communicable diseases by using measures such as civil commitment, which infringe upon civil rights. Statutes, though, are fundamentally limited; they represent nothing more than the letter of the law, whereas ethics and morality represent the spirit of laws. So in regards to these public health statues, how can we adopt appropriate ethical considerations when implementing the Communicable Disease Act to preserve integrity?
The course will be led by an instructor (teacher) with extensive knowledge of communicable diseases and field experience in the control of communicable diseases. The instructor will provide examples of ethical predicaments that frontline public health workers will be forced to face. Field experiences and concepts will be discussed and criticized in relation to specific communicable diseases. Students participating in the course will learn how to think critically and develop the ability to face challenges and to find solutions to problems in the field independently.