Ethical issues in the COVID-19 pandemic control preparedness in a developing economy.

Adequate preparation for highly pathogenic infectious disease pandemic can reduce the incidence, prevalence and burden of diseases like COVID-19 pandemic. An antidote to the spread of the disease is adequate preparation for its control since there is no proven curative measure yet. Effective management of identified cases, social distancing, contact tracing and provision of basic infrastructure to facilitate compliance with preventive measures, testing are proven management strategies. Although these measures seem to be the best options presently, it is important to pay attention to ethical issues arising from the implementation process to ensure best practice. While disease epidemic is not alien to human societies, lessons from previous outbreaks are vital for addressing future outbreaks. For effective control of this pandemic, there should be a clear definition of social distancing in terms of distance and space in line with the WHO definition, adequate provision of basic amenities, screening and testing with specific criteria for selecting those to be screened. Also, there should be a free testing procedure, access to treatment opportunities for those who test positive, ethical free contact tracing practice, respect for the autonomy of those to be tested, and global best practice of open science, open data and data sharing practices. In conclusion, a framework/guideline for epidemic/pandemic ethics guidance should be developed while an ethical sensitive communication manual should be prepared for public engagement on epidemic and pandemic.

Studies on Epidural anaesthesia using lidocaine with adrenaline on hemato-biochemical responses in pregnant West African Dwarf goats

Epidural anesthesia is commonly utilized in veterinary medicine to allow diagnostic, obstetrical, and surgical interventions caudal to the umbilicus in the perineal region of large animal. Addition of a vasoconstrictor to a local anesthetic has been shown to have several beneficial effects. This study was carried out to investigate the effects of lidocaine with epinephrine on physiological, haematological and biochemical parameters in pregnant West African dwarf goats. Four healthy pregnant goats were administered with lidocaine combined with epinephrine (4kg/ml) in the lumbosacral epidural space. Physiological parameters were taken at 30minutes intervals while the hematological and biochemical analyses were done hourly for 3 hours. There were decreases in the hematological parameters including Hb, PCV, RBCs, Neutrophil and platelets after epidural analgesia especially at second and third hours post administration. The glucose, sodium ion, potassium ion, chloride ion, bicarbonate ion increased significantly (P<0.05) at the third hour post administration while the urea and creatinine levels did not show any significant change. The heart rate decreased significantly (P<0.05) post administration of drugs when compared with the onset, respiratory rate increased while the rectal temperature showed a non-significant change. In conclusion, the combination of epinephrine and lidocaine solution for epidural anaesthesia provided a prolonged duration of action without any serious adverse effects in pregnant goats