In Africa, stigma surrounding coronavirus hinders response
Associated PressKAMPALA, Uganda — After 23 days in quarantine in Uganda — far longer than required — Jimmy Spire Ssentongo walked free in part because of a cartoon he drew. But with testing in Africa limited by supply shortages and some health workers going without proper protective gear, fear of the virus on the continent as it approaches 1 million confirmed infections is hindering the ability to control it in many places — and also discouraging people from seeking care for other diseases. The way people were treated early in this pandemic is “just like the way, early on in the HIV epidemic, patients were being treated,” Salim Abdool Karim, an epidemiologist who chairs South Africa’s COVID-19 ministerial advisory committee, told a World Health Organization event last month. “It was dehumanizing,” said Ssentongo, who also noted that there was no social distancing at the facility, and medical workers were rarely seen and inconsistent in their efforts to control the virus. “When you keep quiet,” he said, “stigma continues to grow.” ___ Associated Press writers Cara Anna in Johannesburg and Sam Mednick in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, contributed to this report.
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