Experts have warned against stigmatizing patients; for instance, quarantines are undoubtedly vital to the containment process, but if done improperly, patients could potentially be treated with less dignity and respect.
And in largely white countries like the US, UK, and Australia, stigma can take a more xenophobic, at times outright racist, form -- there has been an uptick of racist assaults and harassment in these places, targeted at people of Chinese or East Asian descent.
It's also why the director general of the World Health Organization urged countries not to impose trade bans in February, warning that it could feed "fear and stigma, with little public health benefit." "Where such measures have been implemented, we urge that they are short in duration, proportionate to the public health risks, and are reconsidered regularly as the situation evolves," he added. |