In an attempt by the world to fiercely fight the novel Coronavirus which most countries were caught with unprepared and for some, unaware, figures of global infections of the virus continuously gallop while no vaccine to allay the fears of humanity has been discovered yet.
The speed with which the virus described by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as a pandemic spreads from persons to persons, has led to the closure of most activities in many countries with only essential services running. Currently, school activities, sporting events, entertainment events, most trading activities, cultural events and not even religious gatherings are considered to be essential services.
Tens of thousands of people across the globe have had their lives cut short at a time when family members and relatives were not expecting. However, humanity takes consolation from the fact that an encouraging percentage of infected persons in global terms keep on to gain full recoveries with others, exhibiting signs of recovery.
Notwithstanding the fact that we all want to see the back of the pandemic and further hope that the infected persons come out stronger, there emerges another evil, which may be more dangerous than the pandemic itself. You know this 'evil'. You have heard of it and you are in the known of how it has sent many into their graves, prematurely. Yes, you know. If not, then I reveal to you the 'Evil Beyond COVID-19, stigmatisation'.
An American actress and singer, Juliette Lake Lewis in one of her renowned quotes about stigmatisation said "the bravest thing I ever did was continuing my life when I wanted to die". Stigma can kill. Stigma dumps spirits of the bearers. Stigma is indeed 'an evil foe'.
Even though stigmatisation is not new to other parts of the world such as Europe, America, Asia etc, where 'the evil' finds comfort as far as disease control and prevention is concerned, is in Africa. While many people living in America, Europe and some other parts of the world have no shame of making public their statuses about some infectious diseases, most African children upon being informed about their positive statuses, either take to their heels or are caught with spontaneous trauma, not for the fear of that particular disease per se but rather, how society will treat them after it is made public.
Unfortunately, it is not only the infected persons who face 'this evil'. 'The evil' (stigma) has sadly expanded its space to caretakers of victims of such diseases. Doctors, nurses and other healthcare workers who are at the frontline of fighting such diseases are not given the best of treatments and assistance they would need from the society when the society realises that they have a direct contact with infected persons. Victims of such diseases and caretakers continue to suffer humiliations, mockery and are subjected to all forms of public ridicules and abuses.
According to an advisor to the National COVID-19 Response Team in Ghana, Dr Ama Edwin as reported by Graphic.com.gh on March 15, 2020, “What is happening now is that we have patients, frontline health workers and their families being stigmatised and labelled to the extent that they lose their status in society”, she said.
Also, a 51-year-old Ghanaian, Mr Fred Drah who has fully recovered from the novel Coronavirus, sharing his experience on the impact of stigmatisation on him and his family in his community, on Thursday, 16th March at the Ministry of Information Press Briefing on COVID-19, stated that “We are not welcomed like before. When people see us, they try to avoid us because we had recorded a case in our home. My wife will go to the market and return home in tears, will go to the barbering shop and no service will be rendered".
If these are the realities out there, are the gods to blame if patients escape upon a notification that they are positive? Why do you think that people who are suspected to be carrying such diseases resist attempts of being tested? If to an extent, some particular communities can resist attempts by governments to locate a place as isolation centers, how do you foresee a report that a person has been infected with the disease in those same communities?
Amid the fight against COVID-19, BBC reported on April 6, 2020 that protesters in Ivory Coast's commercial capital, Abidjan, have destroyed a coronavirus centre that was being built in the district of Yopougon. Residents said it was being built in a crowded residential area, too close to their homes. Ghana's situation with regard to such resistance is no exception. Some demonstrations have gone on in some parts of Central Region and Tema East Municipality in the Greater Accra Region against a similar incident that happened in our bordering country to the west.
The people who are responsible for perpetuating suicidal stigma engage in behaviors such as
distrust, stereotyping, shunning, and
avoidance toward those affected by suicide (Cvinar, 2005).
According to a report by www.suicideinfo.ca, the International Association of Suicide Prevention (IASP) deemed its 2013’s World Suicide Prevention Day theme on 'Stigma: A Major Barrier to Suicide Prevention'. The report partly states that "survivors of suicide loss may wonder if they may have contributed in some way to the actions of their deceased loved one".
People become depressed when they are subjected to stigmatisation. Depression too is a silent killer. Many people out of depression, mostly resort to committing suicides.
But what comes into mind when you hear about stigmatisation here and there? Obviously, one comes to a quick realisation that ignorance and illiteracy, coupled with low public education on such diseases are the major influencers of stigmatisation. It is therefore a necessity for leadership of nations to enhance public education on such diseases in order to let the society get a comprehensive understanding about the dangers of stigmatisation on people in situations of fighting diseases.
Let us as a people, be glad to embrace victims of infectious diseases by showing them the best of love, care and assistance they will require from us in our societies. Today, it is somebody, tomorrow it may be you. I do not believe that you would want to receive the same treatment from people when you are a victim.
In this era of fighting a global pandemic as novel Coronavirus (COVID-19), it is a shared responsibility for us all to help in tracing, testing treating and caring for one another. You need me, I need you, and together we shall overcome the threats from the storms that result from pandemics. We're all at risk of being infected. STOP STIGMATISATION NOW!
Oscar Anning
(Skon media Editor)
Department of Languages Education
University of Education, Winneba, Kumasi
B.A English Language Education, Level 400
anninoscar@gmail.com
0502339821/0240041321
1 Comments
Great piece.
ReplyDeleteStigmatization must STOP NOW.