Stigma, discrimination enemy in fight against Covid-19

Gibson Mhaka, Senior Features Writer
THE story of a Bulawayo family which is facing stigma and discrimination after all its members tested positive for Covid-19 and is currently under self-quarantine at their home made sad reading.

In their fight against the Covid-19 pandemic, the family which is made up of five patients #16, #19, #20, #21 and #22 is also finding itself wrestling with yet another enemy —discrimination.

“You find many people are scared to come near us, many ran away after delivering parcels by the gate. They would then call us later after they have gone that they left something at the gate. I’m afraid of the stigma that we will have after this episode. Will people accept us?” a family member said in a recent interview with our sister paper, Sunday News.

As if this was not troubling enough, the family member said even if they fully recovered from the virus, they feared that they would still stoke unfounded fears in the local community that there are carriers of the disease.

The family member argued that leaks of their personal data also played a part in fuelling their discrimination as they are now treated like “lepers” and subsequently made them feel guilty about the disease.

“My daughter is always asking if we would able to shop with everyone normally again. Will people know that we are the family that was positive? Worse still our home address and telephone number were released in the media, so it’s a tough one because some people already know who my children are. When they go back to school, how will the teachers react and other pupils because everyone now knows us. Some of my college mates even assumed when we closed schools, I had the virus already while the virus is something I got after we had closed schools,” said another family member.

The family’s heart-rending story is not unique. As the coronavirus pandemic sweeps across the world at an alarming pace, Covid-19 patients, those suspected of having contracted the disease, and health workers find themselves fighting not only the infection, but also stigma and discrimination.

As Covid-19 is already taking away freedoms, security and lives, people should know that stigmatising anyone during a pandemic poses a threat to everyone and in the context of Covid-19, people should not let fear of the virus turn into stigma.

In a special paper on stigma around Covid-19, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said the discrimination stems from three overlapping factors. “First, it is a disease that’s new and for which there are still many unknowns. Second, we are often afraid of the unknown, and third, it is easy to associate that fear with others”.

WHO, which is spearheading the global efforts to contain the pandemic and minimise its damage also reports that those who have had it (coronavirus) but recovered are on the receiving end of stigma from friends, relatives and co-workers who fear that they may be infected from the person, despite the person being tested and declared “virus-negative”.

As we collectively work to contain the spread of the virus, WHO recommends that governments, citizens, media, key influencers and communities take steps to counter the contagion of bias and stigma.

Research from HIV, and other infectious disease epidemics also shows that stigma undermines efforts at testing and treating disease. People who worry that they will be socially shunned if they are sick are less likely to get tested for a disease or seek treatment if they experience symptoms.

An official from the Bulawayo City Council (BCC) Health Services Department, said stigmatisation around health issues is not uncommon in Zimbabwe.

The official who requested anonymity for professional reasons said since stigma has exacerbated the suffering from every major infectious disease outbreak in our history, it was also playing a role in the current Covid-19 pandemic.

“Currently, there is such an aggressive stigma surrounding Covid-19 that people are even afraid to leave the hospital, after recovering. Stigma is even making it harder to contain current and future epidemics. People should learn that although HIV and Aids was life-threatening with no cure, people can now live normal lives with medication. When it comes to guidelines to stop the potential spread of Covid-19, people should also know that social distancing should not equal social isolation,” explained the official.

It should be emphasised that stigma does not only impact people who are sick, but also extends to people who have an actual or perceived association with a disease. Family members of people with disease and healthcare providers caring for people with disease are also at high risk of experiencing stigma from others during epidemics.

While drawing comparisons with the discrimination against HIV and Aids patients, Community Working Group on Health (CWGH) executive director Mr Itai Rusike said the effects of stigmatisation are devastating socially, emotionally, physically and economically and may result in further health complications.

“Zimbabwe can’t afford a repeat of the HIV/Aids debacle in the late 1990s, whereby there was so much stigma and discrimination fueled by ignorance and the general lack of information making people living with HIV more vulnerable. The current state of affairs requires constant updates and reassurance from health authorities to avoid panic and despondency among citizens,” said Mr Rusike. “Already, fake news and misinformation on social media is causing panic, fear and stigmatisation of people suspected to have the disease, hence the need for correct and unmassaged data from official sources. It is the Government’s duty to allay such fears.

“Lack of information or misinformation, fear and anxiety about Covid-19 can result in social stigma towards people, a certain community of people or nationalities; or even persons released from quarantine. This therefore calls for the Government and other stakeholders to craft and communicate well-thought, non-stigmatising and non-discriminatory messages to the citizens”.

Mr Rusike said health workers such as nurses and doctors who come into contact with suspects are also exposed to stigma and discrimination in the communities they stay because of their vulnerability and exposure to Covid-19 suspects and patients.

“CWGH therefore calls upon responsible authorities including the Ministry of Health and Child Care (MoHCC), public health officials and all those who communicate about Covid-19 to raise awareness about the disease without increasing panic and fear; share accurate information about how the virus is spread; and maintain confidentiality of those seeking assistance and those who are part of contact investigation to stop stigma and discrimination,” he said.

But discriminating against health workers exacts a hefty price that society can ill-afford to pay. These are the professionals who are working in stressful and frightening environments where sometimes they are under-protected and overworked making them vulnerable to infection.

According to Dr Printah Nkala of the Psychology and Counselling Department at the Zimbabwe Open University (ZOU), the effects of stigma and discrimination are harmful, and he urged people to guard against them.

In the context of the Covid-19 pandemic, Dr Nkala says: “It’s a societal obligation, meaning every person with correct information should actively participate in addressing the phenomenon. Individuals and organisations with the capacity to assist the needy with resources, need to be motivated to play their part. There is also need to promote public psychological counselling services whereby the media, traditional and political leaders and relevant professional groups need to disseminate authenticated information on Covid-19.”

A counsellor Ms Duduzile Sukoluhle Mhlanga said there is need to scale up counselling efforts to quarantined patients as a way of encouraging them that quarantine does not mean they were being stigmatised and discriminated against.

“There is need to focus the importance of mental health counselling to quarantined patients, reassuring them that quarantine doesn’t mean they’re being stigmatised. There’s also need to increase counselling efforts and interactions with patients so that they’re mentally prepared to take on the challenge.

“On the other hand, people must understand that there are thousands of viruses much more serious than coronavirus and all the misconceptions and myths associated with this disease (Covid-19) should be dispelled forthwith,” said Ms Mhlanga.