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Advances in Dermatology and Allergology/Postępy Dermatologii i Alergologii
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5/2021
vol. 38
 
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Letter to the Editor

A study of the social stigma of coronavirus (COVID-19)

Mahdi Naeim 
1

  1. Young Researchers Club, Ardabil Branch, Islamic Azad University, Ardabil, Iran
Adv Dermatol Allergol 2021; XXXVIII (5): 899-900
Online publish date: 2021/11/05
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Infectious disease disasters, including epidemics, pandemics, and outbreaks, may cause high morbidity and mortality and may account for 1/4 to 1/3 of the worldwide death rate [1]. For the past 2 months, the difficulty of the new virus (COVID-19) and its spread to other parts of the globe after/since the outbreak in Wuhan, China, has been the most focus of healthcare providers around the world [2]. The new Coronavirus (COVID-19) may be a new sort of family that didn't exist before in humans. Coronaviruses are zoonotic, meaning they're also trans-mitted from animals to humans. Common symptoms of the new virus include respiratory symptoms, cough, shortness of breath, fever. In additional severe cases, the infection can cause pneumonia, renal failure, severe acute respiratory syndrome, and even death [3]. COVID-19 was first reported on, 2019, in Wuhan, China. According to the World Health Organization, to date, nearly 4 months after its first prototype, COVID-19 has been moved to 180 countries. The countries towhich COVID-19 has been observed so far are: China, Korea, Japan, Iran Canada, Italy, Singapore, Australia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Philippines, Cambodia, Thailand, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, US, Germany, France, Britain, Russia, Spain, Belgium, Finland, Israeli, Sweden, Saudi Arabia and etc. About 80 you look after people with this condition recover with none special treatment. One in 6 people with COVID-19 is seriously ill and has difficulty breathing. Older people and people with underlying medical problems like hypertension, heart problems, or diabetes are more likely to develop the disease [4, 5]. COVID-19 prevalence in Iran on 19 February 2020 is as follows: the Iranian Ministry of Health announced that 2 people with COVID-19 had been identified in Qom. Gilan, Markazi, and Tehran were the alternative provinces where the virus dramatically spread. To control the infection, the National Corona Committee was founded and so was a parallel committee in each province [6]. Evidence also suggests that individuals may experience symptoms of psychosis, trauma, suicidal ideation, anxiety, and panic during outbreaks of communicable diseases [7].

COVID-19 has become a global problem. This means that a person with corona, in addition to enduring the burden of pain and stress caused by illness and fear of death, has to endure the negative views and feelings of others such as rejection, humiliation, and all kinds of discrimination by society, as it seems. The consequences and problems caused by the social stigma associated with corona are more painful than the disease itself. This will make them hide their illness and prevent it, reducing the desire of this group of patients for testing, obstruction of access to treatment, and other health care services, lack of commitment to treatment, and non-disclosure of the disease. Goffman argues that social stigma is the product of negative attitudes that distinguish the labelled person from others so he describes this trait as a completely invalid trait that has different physical and psychological consequences [8]. Social conditions such as feelings of disability, depression, anxiety, increased physical symptoms associated with the disease [9], self-care [10], decreased self-esteem, feeling ashamed [11], decreased life satisfaction and reduced quality of life [12]. Researchers believe that one of the most important barriers to health improvement is [13] the lack of adherence to a treatment regimen as well as reduced use of therapeutic interventions in patients with the stigma associated with coronavirus. Therefore, the various dimensions of this idea should be examined and identified by policymakers in the field of community health, health care providers, and researchers. Although it is important to know the views and beliefs of people in the community about coronavirus, it is important to examine and understand patients' views, perceptions, and beliefs about the stigma associated with the disease through credible tools to recognize their psychological and social challenges and lead to effective intervention strategies.

Conflict of interest

The author declares no conflict of interest.

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