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Stigmatization of COVID-19 and HIV Patients.

Introduction

A number of major advancements in HIV/AIDS and Covid 19 treatment regimens have drastically reduced HIV and Covid-related morbidity and death in nations where such treatments are available. Anne Malcom, an eloquent and avid reader re-affirms the introduction of antiretroviral medications in the late 1980s ushered in a revolution in HIV management, comparable to the adoption of penicillin to treat bacterial infections in the 1940s (Malcolm 350). The COVID-19 epidemic appears to have played a role in causing a drastic change away from people’s desire to live in mutual companionship and toward a drive to stigmatize unique persons. The current paper examines the stigma associated with the COVID-19 epidemic among various socio economic groups, as well as rising cases of prejudice based on race, class, and religion, using secondary evidence gathered from news articles published online or in print. As a result, the Covid 19 epidemic ushered in a new era of care and treatment, particularly for patients who were reliant on health-care institutions.

As of yet, there is no complete cure for Covid 19, and researchers are continuing to try a range of therapy options. Katherine Roberto who is an Assistant Professor of Management at Texas A&M university as well as a well-known researcher and consultant mentioned that the FDA has approved remdesivir (Veklury), an antiviral medication, to treat COVID-19 in hospitalized adults and children aged 12 and up (Roberto 370). It also issued an emergency use authorization for the rheumatoid arthritis medicine baricitinib (Olumiant) in some situations to treat COVID-19. Overall, the stigma associated with viral infections among various patients is frightening, and it is one of the primary causes of these patients’ premature mortality. In diverse circumstances and for different communities, stigma and prejudice take varied forms, yet some characteristics remain consistent. The HIV response has taught us valuable principles that can be used to the COVID-19 response. This essay seeks to describe and analyze the degree and causes for the stigmatization of patients infected with HIV with Covid -19. We will compare and contrast various therapeutic options for both disorders, as well as their relationship to stigmatization.

Understanding of Social Stigmatization

In the context of health, social stigma is defined as a negative association between a person or a group of individuals who share particular qualities and a condition. Because of a perceived link to a disease, persons may be labeled, stereotyped, discriminated against, treated separately, and/or lose status during an outbreak. Treatments like these can have a negative impact on persons who have the disease, as well as their careers, family, friends, and communities. People who don’t have the condition but share some of the same features as this group may also be stigmatized.

Degree of Stigmatization among HIV and Covid 19 Patients.

Prejudice, unfavorable attitudes, and abuse directed towards people living with Covid and HIV/AIDS are referred to as HIV and Covid-related stigma and discrimination. According to Mitzel, a well-educated gay activist suggested that “Over 50% of people in 35 percent of nations with accessible data report have discriminatory views toward HIV-positive people (Mitzel 282).” The current COVID-19 outbreak has resulted in social stigma and discrimination towards people of specific ethnic backgrounds, as well as those suspected of being infected with the virus. It is impossible to deny that stigma and prejudice make people more vulnerable to HIV. Those most vulnerable to HIV continue to be stigmatized and discriminated against based on their real or perceived health status, race, socioeconomic level, age, sex, sexual orientation or gender identity, or other factors. The current COVID-19 outbreak has resulted in social stigma and discrimination towards people of specific ethnic backgrounds, as well as those suspected of being infected with the virus. Discrimination and stigma present themselves in a variety of ways. Discrimination and other abuses of human rights may occur in health-care settings, preventing people from obtaining services or receiving high-quality care. Some people living with HIV and other key affected populations are shunned by their families, peers, and the wider society, while others endure discrimination in schools and workplaces, erosion of their rights, and psychological harm.

All of these things make HIV testing, treatment, and other HIV-related services more difficult to obtain. The HIV Stigma Index was used in more than 70 countries as of 2015, with over 1,400 people living with HIV trained as interviewers and over 70,000 people living with HIV interviewed (Mitzel 285). According to findings from 50 nations, one out of every eight HIV-positive people is denied health care due to stigma and discrimination. However, there are three key factors that influence the level of stigma associated with COVID-19:

It’s a novel disease with many unknowns.

We’re often terrified of the unknown

It’s simple to identify that anxiety with “others.”

It’s understandable that the public is confused, anxious, and afraid. Regrettably, these elements are also contributing to the spread of damaging preconceptions. Stigma can erode social cohesion and lead to group social isolation, which may contribute to a condition where the virus is more likely to spread, not less. This can lead to more serious health concerns and make it more difficult to contain a disease outbreak. Stigma can cause people to hide their sickness in order to avoid being judged, restrict them from getting medical help right away, and discourage them from adopting healthy habits.

Dickson Adom, a prolific writer and researcher, often regarded as hardworking and creative depicts an ideology that, the subject’s overall presentation clearly illustrates the profound cracks that exist beneath the collective, which manifest in times of crisis, such as a pandemic. The subject’s overall presentation clearly illustrates the profound cracks that exist beneath the collective, which manifest in times of crisis, such as a pandemic. As the power structures come to the fore, epidemics are thought to show who and what is truly valued in a community (Adom 110). Apart from the focus on COVID-19 therapy and prevention, it is vital to remember that stigma decreases health-, help-, and treatment-seeking behavior and must be addressed. The formation of diseases, their social perception, and the resulting psychological disorders are all influenced by global health communication.

As a result, a multipronged strategy should be taken by all key parties, including the government, media, and local administrative organizations, as well as hospitals, to reduce stigma. A Balance of pandemic containment and prevention measures, including as physical separation and travel limitations, with appropriate information/public health messages and community participation, ought to be set up (Roberto 375). We are all equal because of what nature has done to us. We are the ones who divide society in order to profit ourselves. This is achieved by stigmatization. However, it often creates impenetrable barriers at the interpersonal, intergroup, and international levels. There are those who actually commit crimes, and there are others who only reap the benefits of being associated with the negative, whether it’s because of their line of work, a shared social identity—family, religion—or as simple as being a scapegoat for the injustices that society projects their way.

What we should take up from all of this is that it indicates a complete lack of human ability to discriminate between good and evil, as well as the basic human character of being kind and helpful to others. And if this continues, it will serve no useful purpose in the long run, because we are all first and foremost humans, with our relationships with our families, religions, professions, financial status, and many other things coming second.

Conclusion

Despite the rising body of scientific information on the prevalence of stigma in healthcare settings and its poor influence on people’s health, there are few solutions to address this key roadblock in the field. The existing level of knowledge about stigma reduction interventions provides a good platform for developing interventions that address the gaps described in this manuscript while simultaneously addressing multiple health condition stigmas. Future stigma reduction investments should focus on conditions that have been overlooked in recent literature, rigorous evaluation, underrepresented geographic locations, addressing stigma at multiple ecological levels within a health facility for a long-term response, and standardizing measures to allow comparisons between intervention approaches and methods. Stigma affects more than just those with stigmatized health conditions. Its effects ripple outward across communities and inward through the policies and procedures that drive care, as well as the people who are in charge of giving it.

Works Cited

Adom, D., Mensah, J. A., & Osei, M. “The psychological distress and mental health disorders from COVID-19 stigmatization in Ghana. .” Social sciences & humanities open, 100186. (2021).

Malcolm, A., Aggleton, P., Bronfman, M., Galvao, J., Mane, P., & Verrall, J. “HIV-related stigmatization and discrimination: Its forms and contexts.” Critical Public Health, 8(4), (1998): 347-370.

Mitzel, L. D., Vanable, P. A., & Carey, M. P. “HIV-related stigmatization and medication adherence: Indirect effects of disclosure concerns and depression.” Stigma and health, 4(3), (2019): 282.

Roberto, K. J., Johnson, A. F., & Rauhaus, B. M. (2020). “Stigmatization and prejudice during the COVID-19 pandemic. .” Administrative Theory & Praxis, 42(3), (2020): 364-378.

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