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Concerns mount over Covid-19 stigma in KwaZulu-Natal

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KwaZulu-Natal health spokesperson Ntokozo Maphisa says stigmatising people with certain diseases is a global phenomenon usually based on lack of understanding, misinformation and misplaced fear. Picture: Nardus Engelbrecht/AP Photo
KwaZulu-Natal health spokesperson Ntokozo Maphisa says stigmatising people with certain diseases is a global phenomenon usually based on lack of understanding, misinformation and misplaced fear. Picture: Nardus Engelbrecht/AP Photo

As the number of confirmed Covid-19 coronavirus cases in KwaZulu-Natal increase, provincial health authorities, health practitioners and public health activists are urging residents to avoid the spread of misinformation which is fuelling stigma around Covid-19, writes Nomfundo Xolo.

Some community healthcare workers in KwaZulu-Natal, who are screening for the Covid-19 coronavirus and tracing contacts of people with the disease, are concerned about rising levels of stigma.

Last month, the situation escalated when angry residents burnt tyres outside Untunjambili Hospital near KwaDukuza over the admission of 10 people with Covid-19 at the hospital. The hospital is used as in isolation facility for people who test positive for Sars-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19.

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