The recent rise in COVID-19 recovery cases has given hope to the uncertainty caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Latest statistics indicate that out of the 249 cases, over 109 people have recovered.

However, there are still growing concerns for those who have recovered or been tested for the virus to experience stigma from society.

As a disease that’s new and for which there are still many unknowns, the virus has somewhat fuelled harmful stereotypes against people perceived to have been in contact with the virus. Some victims have said to have been labelled, stereotyped and treated separately by society because of a perceived link with a disease.

But information from World Health Organisation indicates that stigma can undermine social cohesion and prompt possible social isolation which might contribute to a situation where the virus is more likely to spread.

This can result in more severe health problems and difficulties controlling a disease outbreak for it can drive people to hide the illness to avoid discrimination or worse, prevent them from seeking health care immediately.

Impact

Valerie Earnshaw, an expert in human development and family sciences underlined that stigma harms the mental and physical health of people with the disease.

This stigma can take the forms of social rejection, gossip, physical violence, and denial of services. Experiencing stigma from others can lead to elevated depressive symptoms, stress, and substance use.

She suggested that people don’t have to experience stigma from others to be negatively affected by it. Just anticipating stigma from other people-perhaps because you’ve already seen sick people, be ostracised or judged for their illness-can lead to anxiety and stress.

Dr Yvonne Kayiteshonga, the Head of Mental Health Division at Rwanda Biomedical Centre, said that stigma is always most prevalent with infectious diseases such as HIV among others.

Dr Yvonne Kayiteshonga, the Head of Mental Health Division at Rwanda Biomedical Centre. / Sam Ngendahimana

She explained that stigma is very bad because it undermines efforts at testing and treating disease.

"If a person fears to be stigmatised, they get scared to say that they have symptoms, or if they came into contact with a person with it and they go on spreading the virus,” Dr Kayiteshonga said.

The medic also noted that apart from fear, stigmatising someone can take a toll on their mental health.

"When people treat you differently from others because of an illness, it affects your self-worth, you end up valuing yourself less because you think you are not like others,” she added.

Deconstructing stigma

Experts underline that people have a deep-seated need to understand events in order to accept them. And that failure to understand them breeds confusion, stereotypes, prejudice, and discrimination.

Dr Kayiteshonga suggested that the first step to deal with COVID-19 related stigma is to explain for people to know what the virus is, how it spreads and how it is treated.

"When a person knows that a COVID-19 patient is treated and can recover, it’s easy to fight the stigma.”

She also pointed to the need to build trust in reliable health services and advice highlighting efforts of the health care system that has not only availed testing and treatment services, but has also followed up closely on communities to ensure that those who were in close contact with patients are handled accordingly.

There is also a task force with a team of psychologists and one of the things they do is preventing stigma related to coronavirus.

"They offer counselling services to patients and the public can also reach their services by calling 114 in case of any unsettling fears such as stigma they want to address,” Kayiteshonga said.

"This is how it is with all health centres that even those who are discharged to go back in the community, the team continues to follow them up. We reach out to them because if you are faced with a lot of fear, it can affect your mental health which affects your immunity.”