Forensic identification of cases with infectious diseases such as novel coronavirus pneumonia

• Main Authors: Xin Liu, Wen Liu
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications 2020-01-01
• Series: Journal of Forensic Science and Medicine
• Subjects: forensic identification; infectious diseases; novel coronavirus pneumonia; occupational safety; pathological autopsy
• Online Access: http://www.jfsmonline.com/article.asp?issn=2349-5014;year=2020;volume=6;issue=2;spage=53;epage=57;aulast=Liu

Deaths or other legal disputes caused by novel coronavirus pneumonia (COVID-19) may require forensic pathological autopsy or forensic clinical identification. During daily forensic identification of cases in which individuals died of infectious diseases, forensic identification agencies and experts should be fully aware of the risk of infection when dissecting and examining such cadavers. Furthermore, forensic identification personnel should always adopt effective protective measures. As a novel infectious disease, research and information on COVID-19 are updated rapidly. Therefore, guidelines should be carefully selected for forensic identification. In addition to the above aspects, this paper has also discussed other common issues during the forensic autopsy of patients who died of infectious diseases, such as professional ethics, informed consent, insurance claims, and environmental protection.