Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Vigilance has been proposed as a distinct ethical category within public health, yet its legitimacy depends on more than what is owed to those asked to be vigilant. This article argues that the structural conditions under which vigilance is demanded must themselves be ethically scrutinised. Without proper considerations, vigilance frameworks may risk responsibilisation, where states may neglect their own obligations to address structural determinants, while shifting the burden of managing collective health risks onto individuals. Drawing on the HIV epidemic in sub-Saharan Africa as an illustration, we demonstrate how vigilance without careful design may disproportionately increase the burden of those with the least power, while leaving the unjust conditions that created those burdens unaddressed.
Source: JME Practical Bioethics
Authors: Archibong Edem Bassey, Chinaza Duke Nwosu
Institutions: University of Warwick, University of Manchester
Language: English
Subfield: General Health Professions
Field: Health Professions
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W7152957490