In the past few years, there have been many outbreaks of infections and viruses that have been affecting parts of the world. Some of these outbreaks include Ebola, the Zika virus and swine flu. When the government has to deal with public health emergencies, they are expected to take control of the situation and successfully handle it. Although the government has policies to handle such situations, there is not always legislation that will completely take care of the situation or do so without bias. Other times, the media can play a role in how the government reacts to health emergencies. This forum looks at three different arguments regarding whether or not the government plays a critical and successful role in dealing with public health epidemics.