BMJ
British Medical Journal
Editor's Choice
Covid-19: Testing testing
BMJ 2020; 369 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.m1918 (Published 14 May 2020)
Cite this as: BMJ 2020;369:m1918
Rapid responses
COVID-19 and Stigma in India
Coronavirus infection is associated with stigma from the presymtomatic stage to till death and even after in India
During this COVID-19 Pandemic , even a simple cough by a normal person is viewed seriously by the public and end up in discrimination.
Declaring a COVID-19 positive result for a person in a community leads to many extreme discrimination in all levels in the society.
COVID-19 patients and their family members are facing many social stigma before taking to hospital, at the treatment places and at the quarantine places .
After completing the treatment , patients and their family members
are facing discrimination and neglect in their living areas, work places, shopping places, worship places and even after death during last rituals in the society .
Because of the Stigma and discrimination in India , people are feared to undergo COVID-19 testing . So that People are also not cooperative in sharing the information about their source of infection. This may also create many difficulties during contact tracing.
As an extreme of social Stigma, if patients died of COVID-19 infection, their bodies are sometimes not allowed to bury or cremate in the burial ground or in crematorium because of many false beliefs prevailing in the community about COVID-19 in India
Competing interests: No competing interests
15 May 2020
M.A. Aleem
Emeritus Professor of Neurology * Visiting Specialist in Neurology ** Consultant Neurologist ***
The Tamilnadu Dr.M.G.R. Medical University * Dhanalakshami Srinivasan Medical College ** ABC Hospital ***
Chennai 600032* Perambalure 621212** Trichy 620018*** Tamilnadu India
@drmaaleem
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