Regulamento sanitário internacional: emergências em saúde pública, medidas restritivas de liberdade e liberdades individuais International health regulations: public health emergencies, freedom-restricting measures, and individual freedom

this study aimed to identify the main features of the freedom-restricting control measures adopted by the signatories to the international health regulations (iHr) in case of epidemics/pandemics. Relationships were emphasized between laws and principles and benefits and disadvantages from adopting them. A literature review search was conducted in Medline, Scielo, and Web of Science databases using the key words “restrictives Measures,” “Quarantine,” “Nonpharmaceutical,” “Quarantine and isolation,” “medidas restritivas,” “Quarentena,” “nao-farmaceuticas,” and “isolamento” in articles published in or before July 2012. Different countries showed different approaches, and economic, social, and administrative issues rather than quarantine and isolation were found to be the main concern in the discussion of freedom-restricting measures. there is tacit agreement regarding both the importance of restrictive measures in Public Health Emergencies and the realization that their effective enforcement entails problems not yet harmonized among iHr (2005) signatories.