Inhuman ignorance

 As the entire globe desperately battles to stop the rampaging coronavirus from causing further devastation; a lurking phobia surrounding the virus has only contributed to the rise of an unwanted problem. The fear of the little known virus for which there is still no vaccine yet, has caused serious problems. Those affected by the virus (COVID-19) suffer social stigma and this has caused deep mental anguish not only on the patients but their families. Cases have been reported of people affected with COVID-19 as well as healthcare workers, sanitary workers and police, who are in the frontline for management of the outbreak, facing discrimination on account of heightened fear and misinformation about infection. There are reported cases where doctors and health workers etc involved in the fight against COVID-19 being shunned by people and debarred from living in quarters. This was highlighted by the Nagaland Private Doctors Association (NPDA) which had threatened to close down all private hospitals in Dimapur because certain colonies have banned the medical staff from performing their duties for fear of COVID-19. However this is not the end, as the recent shocking incident in Mon highlighted how fear psychosis had led to inhuman treatment meted out to the dead body of a personnel of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and frontline worker and how the family were barred from seeing the body. The frontline worker was sent to a quarantine facility after testing positive for COVID-19 on July 26. Later,  on July 31, the test was negative but the patient died on August 9. The village had reportedly warned the deceased’s family not to bring the dead body to the village and also not to go to see the dead body. There were many instances where even family members refused to take the dead bodies of COVID-19 patients. In some cases, the deceased patients were even denied decent burial when localities prevented cremation or burial in the cemeteries. All these acts of stigmatisation stem from a morbid fear of the virus even if there is actually no need to react in such a way. The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) as well as various state governments have, time and again, issued public notices to not stigmatise COVID-19 patients either living or dead since the fears were misplaced. No sane person would voluntarily want to get infected with the virus. In situation of distress, the patient and the family need support and cooperation. It must be noted that the condition is curable and most people recover from it. The handling of dead bodies of COVID-19 patients has also been left at the mercy of ignorance. According to World Health Organisation (WHO), except in cases of hemorrhagic fevers (such as Ebola, Marburg) and cholera, dead bodies are generally not infectious. However, a dead body often has fluids like saliva, phlegm, and blood oozing out and those could be a source of virus. This is the reason why there are clear national guidelines on how to handle dead bodies. Currently, funerals are largely the work of trained professionals who themselves are protected by PPE. Relatives are allowed to see the dead with adequate protection but to avoid touching or hugging. Ignorance is the driver of stigma and the sooner people look to medical science for knowledge, society will continue to live in despair.