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Jegede A, Ajayi I, Akintola S, Falade C, Dipeolu IO, Cadmus S, Aderemi A, Olaifa A, Olatoye O, Akinyemi O. Ethical issues in the COVID-19 pandemic control preparedness in a developing economy. Pan Afr Med J 2020; 35:95. [PMID: 33623619 PMCID: PMC7875799 DOI: 10.11604/pamj.supp.2020.35.23121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2020] [Accepted: 06/28/2020] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
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.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ayodele Jegede
- Department of Sociology, Faculty of the Social Sciences, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria.,Ethics Sub-committee of the Coronavirus Pandemic Response Committee, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria
| | - IkeOluwapo Ajayi
- Ethics Sub-committee of the Coronavirus Pandemic Response Committee, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria.,Department of Epidemiology and Medical Statistics, Faculty of Public Health, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria
| | - Simisola Akintola
- Ethics Sub-committee of the Coronavirus Pandemic Response Committee, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria.,Department of Public Law, Faculty of Law, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria
| | - Catherine Falade
- Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Institute for Advanced Medical Research and Training, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria
| | - Isaac Oluwafemi Dipeolu
- Ethics Sub-committee of the Coronavirus Pandemic Response Committee, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria.,Department of Health Promotion and Education, Faculty of Public Health, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria
| | - Simeon Cadmus
- Ethics Sub-committee of the Coronavirus Pandemic Response Committee, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria.,Department of Veterinary Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria
| | - Ajala Aderemi
- Ethics Sub-committee of the Coronavirus Pandemic Response Committee, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria.,Department of Archaeology and Anthropology, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria
| | - Abayomi Olaifa
- Ethics Sub-committee of the Coronavirus Pandemic Response Committee, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria.,Department of Veterinary Surgery and Radiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria
| | - Olufemi Olatoye
- Ethics Sub-committee of the Coronavirus Pandemic Response Committee, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria.,Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Institute for Advanced Medical Research and Training, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria
| | - Odunayo Akinyemi
- Ethics Sub-committee of the Coronavirus Pandemic Response Committee, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria.,Department of Epidemiology and Medical Statistics, Faculty of Public Health, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria
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Jegede A, Ajayi I, Akintola S, Falade C, Dipeolu IO, Cadmus S, Aderemi A, Olaifa A, Olatoye O, Akinyemi O. Ethical issues in the COVID-19 pandemic control preparedness in a developing economy. Pan Afr Med J 2020. [DOI: 10.11604/pamj.supp.2020.35.2.23121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
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