The Ethics of Triage
You are a nurse in a Third World country in a small village of 150 people (adults and children – roughly equal in numbers). There is an outbreak of a deadly infection which is easily treated with a specific antibiotic. Untreated, the mortality rate is close to 100%. However, you only have enough to treat 25 adults or 50 children. Additional dosages are on their way but are not expected to arrive before the disease will run its course. Note that anyone over 11 is considered an adult and you are in as much danger from the infection as everyone else.
What do you do? What is the ethical approach in this situation? How do you treat the community knowing that you may have to watch some die while you reserve treatment for specific individuals?
