Fight Illness And Not The Ill: Stigma Around Covid-19 And How It Can Make Matters Worse | Explainer

Stigmatizing Covid-19 patients can lead to more problems by making people hide their illness. Here's what you should do instead.

(PTI Photo)

New Delhi: Stigmatizing people who suffer from Covid-19 can cause a lot of harm. It can make people hide their disease or refuse to test themselves thereby spreading the disease further. Social stigma can risk the lives of people and put the safety of everyone at risk. According to WHO, “the current COVID-19 outbreak has provoked social stigma and discriminatory behaviours against people of certain ethnic backgrounds as well as anyone perceived to have been in contact with the virus. Social stigma in the context of health is the negative association between a person or group of people who share certain characteristics and a specific disease. In an outbreak, this may mean people are labelled, stereotyped, discriminated against, treated separately, and/or experience loss of status because of a perceived link with a disease.” The fact that this disease is new and as humans we tend to be afraid of the unknown makes it easy for us to fall prey to the misconceptions about a disease, especially false news is widely spread through social media. The real information about this disease gets masked under the ‘infodemic’. Aside from people who have the disease, frontline workers and caregivers are also affected by this social stigma. some have even faced attacks and discrimination since the pandemic started. Frontline workers have been working tirelessly for six months so far, and are essential for these times. Stigmatizing these workers can actually cause more stress for them as it fuels fear and also makes them feel less appreciated. Here are certain tips shared by Ministry of Health and Family Welfare that people should follow in order to curb social stigma of Covid-19:

• Be appreciative and supportive of efforts made by frontline works and do NOT spread misinformation, refer to the MOHFW website or WHO website for correct updated information or follow reliable news sources instead of viral social media claims, you can even verify the information from these websites before you hit forward and send to your loved ones.
• Don’t label people, communities, or areas for the spread of COVID-19. If you happen to know the information about a person who has recently contracted the virus, do not spread their information or discriminate against them. In fact, show that you support them and help them if they need it.
• Spread stories positive stories of people who have recovered, treat them as winners as they do not have the virus and cannot transmit the disease to anyone.
• Support essential workers living in your area, do not stigmatize them as there are proper protocols in place for them before they leave from work. Practice social distancing, wear a mask in public, and sanitize your hands regularly if you can wash them regularly.