Quarantine for the Control of Communicable Diseases with a Look at the Iranian Legal System

The use of quarantine to control communicable diseases has always been controversial because such strategy raises political, moral, economic and legal challenges and requires a precise balance between public interest and individual rights and discussion on the scope and foundations of government involvement in the field of public health. It is necessary to determine precise measurements in order to apply this method. The legal systems of the countries within the framework of the constitutions and the ordinary laws and regulations have provided the quarantine for the prevention of the communicable diseases. Although we do not have a specific law on quarantine in Iran, the principle 79 of the Constitution can be used to legitimize it. Also, given the emergence of emerging diseases, there is a need for a specific legal framework, including a comprehensive quarantine law which contains regulation about how to enforce it, how it will be implemented, the authorities in charge, the extent of the quarantine, guarantee of breach, and how to recover the effects thereof.