Monika Sharma
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.The people most vulnerable to social stigma are those of Asian descent, those who have traveled abroad and healthcare professionals.Such stigma can negatively affect those with the disease, as well as their caregivers, family, friends and communities.
The COVID-19 pandemic is the global health crisis and greatest challenges of our times and it is moving like a wave worldwide. As the pandemic rapidly sweeps across the world, it is inducing a considerable degree of fear, anxiety and concern in the population at large. Amid this, people are facing the problem of social stigma as well.
Social stigma is often associated with discrimination and exclusion, and is usually associated with a low level of education. However, cases of social stigma have also been described in high-income countries, with higher than average levels of education. The current COVID-19 pandemic has raised fears in the general population, mainly because of a large number of uncertainties over the novel coronavirus, including how contagious it is, the role of asymptomatic cases and fomites in transmission, and the highly variable course of the disease. Misinformation via traditional media—and especially via social media—can increase the risk of stigmatisation and undesirable behaviours (e.g., physical and psychological violence).
This type of stigma may lead to the impacts such as:
• Drive people to hide the illness to avoid discrimination.
• Prevent people from seeking health care immediately.
• Discourage them from adopting healthy behaviours.
There are many examples in our communities where people are pressurised by their neighbours and their negative behaviours to get tested for COVID-19 because they get accused of possibly spreading the disease in their community. People with travel history who were in self isolation are especially pressurised by the community people for testing even after they have no symptoms. They were not the ones with the problem. The real problem was the stigma towards possible COVID-19 patients that was slowly rooting in our society. There are stories of hate crimes abroad following the outbreak but fortunately we haven’t reached that stage.
How to address social stigma:
Health education is one of the key ways to address stigmatisation. The WHO defines health education as any combination of learning experiences tailored to support persons and communities to improve their health by improving their knowledge and affecting their behaviours and attitudes.It is required to address the challenges of COVID-19 related misinformation and social stigma through health education of the local population.
How we communicate about COVID-19 is critical in supporting people to take effective action to help combat the disease and to avoid fuelling fear and stigma. An environment needs to be created in which the disease and its impact can be discussed and addressed openly, honestly and effectively. Here are some measures on how to address and avoid compounding social stigma:
Use of appropriate language and terminologies when talking about COVID-19.
Spreading the facts and accurate information.
Engaging social influencers such as religious leaders, community leaders or celebrities to talk about such stigma and ways to prevent it.
Amplify the voices, stories and images of local people who have experienced the COVID-19 and have recovered or who have supported a loved one through recovery to emphasise that most people do recover from COVID-19.
Portray different ethnic groups: All materials should show diverse communities being impacted and working together to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Ethical journalism: The journalists should focus stories on positive things to minimize stigma rather than speculating rumours.
Appreciating or thanking the health care workers and care takers and showing empathy with those affected.
Raise awareness about COVID-19 without increasing fear.
