INFECTIOUS DISEASES AND SOCIAL STIGMA

Stigma creates a barrier between the sick and the rest of society that prevents them from acting on their instinctive desire to seek curative treatment that will enable them to reenter into their every day social activity. For these ailing persons, the cost of being stigmatized far outweighs the desire to rehabilitate their lifestyle. Further, social stigma associated with infectious disease undermines the overall health of society, and the effectiveness of community efforts to offer unabridged healthcare services to treat and prevent the spread of communicable disease. In the wake of the latest pandemic influenza outbreak, the global community witnessed how under the stress H1N1, communities, regions, and countries can suffer socially and economically. Our research finds a statistically significant relationship between infectious disease and social stigma. We also identify the role the media plays in exacerbating this issue, and address preliminary policy implications to mitigate these issues in the future.

污名在患者与社会其他群体之间造成了一道障碍，阻碍了他们依据本能的愿望去寻求治疗，而这种治疗本可以使他们重新参与日常社会活动。对于这些患病的人来说，被污名化的代价远远超过了恢复其生活方式的愿望。此外，与传染病相关的社会污名损害了社会的整体健康，也削弱了社区为治疗和预防传染病传播而提供全面医疗服务的努力的有效性。在最近一次流感大流行爆发之后，国际社会目睹了在甲型H1N1流感的压力下，社区、地区和国家在社会和经济方面所遭受的困境。我们的研究发现传染病与社会污名之间存在着具有统计学意义的关联。我们还确定了媒体在加剧这一问题方面所起的作用，并提出了初步的政策建议，以便在未来缓解这些问题。